A DAY TRIP TO BELGIUM, TOURNAI & CHATEAU BELOEIL AMARYLLIS & ORCHID FESTIVAL

WHAT’S INCLUDED
Departing on Thursday April 29th 2010
A full day trip
Executive coach travel from Dover & on the continent
Return channel crossings with Sea France departing from Dover @ 06.40hrs
Included breakfast on board and dinner on the return journey
A guided visit of Beloeil Chateau with a preview of the stunning flower festival
Lunch at Dubuisson Brewery including a guided tour and tasting
A visit to Tournai including an audio visual presentation and a miniature guided train tour of the city
A visit to the ‘Folklore Museum’
A visit  & guided tour of  Tournai Basilica

PRICE & SUPPLEMENTS
Group organisers price £40.00pp
Partners price £50.00pp
One group organiser's price is fully refundable against a future group tour to the same destination - subject to minimum numbers
Pre/post tour accommodation in Dover can be pre-booked @ extra cost

PROVISIONAL ITINERARY
Departing from Dover we join the Sea France ship for our short crossing to Calais. On boarding we will have a full breakfast as well as a visit of the ship. CHATEAU BELOEIL AMARYLLIS & ORCHID FESTIVALOn arrival in Calais we will make the journey to Chateau Beloeil, which is located in the Hainaut region of Belgium near the cities of  Lille and Tournai. For 21 years the chateau has hosted the stunning Amaryllis & Orchid exhibition, which attracts visitors from across the globe. Over 3,000 orchids from the famous Dutch maison “Leo Berbee & Zoomen” are displayed in settings designed by Geert Pattyn (tbc) in collboration with the ’Green Academy Belgium’ & Marie Marichal. The dramatic setting of the Chateau provides a magnificent home to this stunning display, for which we offer a special preview. We will have a guided tour of the old chateau, which, to this day  remains home to the ‘Princes de Ligne’. This vast stately home began life as a medieval fortress and over the course of centuries it has been transformed into a country home. Antoine de Ligne began laying out the grounds that surround the castle as early as 1515. One hundred and fifty years later, two wings were built in the courtyard and were not affected by the fire which devastated the castle in 1900 which was rebuilt in 1906. ln the introduction to his family history (1950), Prince Albert de Ligne writes "Our family always had strong ties with Hainaut and served the Lords who ruled this province.   Although our ancestors fought under the standards of the Counts of Hainaut, the Kings of France, the Dukes of Burgundy, the Emperors of Austria, the Kings of Spain and the Kings of the Belgians, Hainaut remained their home. The Princes came from Ligne and were and always will be the Princes de LIGNE".  The family originates from the village of Ligne, which is located 8 kilometres to the north-east of Beloeil. The family home, of which few traces remain, was situated on the banks of the Dendre. The oldest available records, dating from the llth Century and written in Latin, mention the LINIA or LIGNIA family and describe its members as "variant knights", "men of honour" and "persons of faith and repute".DUBUISSON BREWERY On arrival at the Dubuisson Brewery we will have a  typical Belgian lunch. The brewery was founded in 1769 by farmer Joseph Leroy and only sold its beer to the workers in the farm and to the inhabitants of the town of Pipaix where the brewery was installed. In 1931, the brothers Alfred and Amédée Dubuisson, descendants of Joseph Leroy, decided to abandon the farm and to concentrate on the production of beer. The beers were meant to be a mix of English and Belgian beers (due to the growing success of English beers at the time), so the name of the beer was English and the production method used both English and Belgian techniques. We will have a guided tour after which we will get to sample some of the produce.TOURNAI We make the short journey to the ancient city of Tournai for an audio visual presentation after which we have a guided mini train tour of the city, along with visits to the fascinating Folklore Museum and a guided tour of the magnificent Basilica. Tournai dates back to Roman times and is located on the Scheldte river. In 432 it became the capital of the Frankish Empire and the city’s importance grew as it became the centre of the cloth industry based on wool imported from England. Today Tournai is considered one of the most important cultural cities in Europe. The Romanesque and gothic architectural styles can be seen in the dramatic Basilica, Cathedral and Belfry, which dominate the city centre. Tournai is also a UNESCO and World Heritage Site.TOURNAI FOLKLORE MUSEUM The fascinating Folklore Museum opened in 1932 and was created by Walter Ravez who became its first curator. It beautifully recreatS the old style of Tournai and it’s surrounding area. Sadly destroyed by German bombings in 1940, the museum was restored and reopened in 1950. You will wander through the rooms which depict in detail ancient crafts and trades : workshop of the 'Balotil' (craftsman who used to work at home and make knitted goods), cobbler's kitchen, small pub with games -namely the famous 'Jeu de fer' still played today-, a farm interior, workshop of the cooper, of the weaver and of the farrier. Displays are devoted to porcelain, tin, printing, medecine, traditions and annual customs, men and women's civilian and military clothing evolution. Amongst the numerous rooms and their many treasures, you will also discover fancy dress for the carnival, a chapel choir and also works by local artists. The museum also houses important historical documents  and the reproduction of a relief ground plan of Tournai in the XVIIth century made out for King Louis XIV. TOURNAI BASILICA The Cathedral of Our Lady is one of the most striking examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO granted the Cathedral of Tournai the honour because it is "distinguished by a Romanesque nave of extraordinary dimensions, a wealth of sculpture on its capitals and a transept topped by five towers, all precursors of the Gothic style." Today's magnificent five-towered Cathedral is one of many places of worship that have stood on this spot. The Cathedral was also a place of refuge for a plague-stricken population. On September 14, 1090, after the dreaded disease had abated, the bishop led a great procession through the Cathedral to honour Our Lady, who was credited with the miraculous curing of sick pilgrims who had poured into the Cathedral to pray before her statue. Since then, the Procession of Tournai has taken place every year. We re-board the ferry for our 18.50hrs crossing with dinner on board and return to Dover where the tour terminates.

Simply Groups reserve the right to make minor alterations to this itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control