Icons of Belgium-Antwerp, Flanders & the Ardennes

Start the day with a local speaker’s presentation on contemporary Belgium, including its geographical regions and their corresponding languages. Continue to the Red Star Line Museum, which traces the history of Antwerp’s most famous shipping line and its connection to European immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Continue to Antwerp Central Station, the “Railway Cathedral,” to admire its eclectic architecture.

Delight in a day in Bruges and admire the Gothic architecture of its UNESCO World Heritage old town, which owed its medieval wealth to its status as one of the most powerful members of the Hanseatic League, the mighty European trading network. Tour the Groeninge Museum to admire a rich collection of paintings created over a span of six centuries. At the Museum of the Church of Our Lady, admire Michelangelo’s sculpture, Madonna and Child. Join a beer tasting and lunch at a local brewery before embarking on a cruise of Bruges’ famous canals.

Follow your own path this morning during free time in Antwerp. This afternoon, visit a local chocolate maker, roll up your sleeves and learn how to make luscious Belgian chocolate. In the evening, the group visits a local restaurant for dinner.

Journey to the Ardennes to explore World War II history in Bastogne, a city at the center of the Battle of the Bulge. Here, an outnumbered U.S. Army division successfully defended the city under siege by German forces. In Bastogne, see the Mardasson Memorial to fallen U.S. soldiers.The day includes a visit the Battle of the Ardennes Museum in La Roche-en-Ardennes and a group lunch.

On the way to Brussels, visit the futuristic Atomium, which was built for the 1958 World’s Fair. The structure, representing the atom of an iron crystal, was a nod to the theme “Progress and Man — A Balance Sheet for a More Humane World,” seeking science and technology for the improvement of life. Continue to the heart of Brussels for lunch and a walking tour. Stroll through Le Grand-Place, the city’s historic market square, and admire the centuries of architecture represented in the surrounding buildings.

Visit Ghent to see its collection of late Gothic and Renaissance architecture. See the Town Hall, the Castle of the Counts; Patershol Quarter, the oldest part of the city; and the guildhall-lined Vrijdagmarkt square. Step inside Gothic St. Bavo’s Cathedral to see Jan van Eyck’s “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.” Raise a toast to your Belgian adventure at a Farewell Reception and Dinner.