Price Quote Almost Ready

The tour company has been working hard with Barry and I to create the best itinerary possible for our 2011 tour.  Barry and I want to keep the costs low without sacrificing experiences.  As soon as we get a final price nailed down, we will hold our meeting about the trip.  We were hoping the trip would be around $3500, but it looks like it will be closer to $4000.  Still, this is a real bargain.  We will continue to negotiate for the best price.  Once we settle that, we will contact anyone interested in going for a meeting about the trip. 

Keep watching your email and this blog for more info!

French Art and History-- French Riviera, Provence, Paris, and Bruges

• Day 1: Fly Seattle, Washington to Brussels, Belgium


 (June 23, 2011 suggested; will guarantee scheduled arrival into Bruges before noon)

• Day 2: Arrive Brussels

 Goal: Get outside and walk around to get over jet lag; get the layout of the city and some history

• Activities:

(1) Travel from Brussels to Brugges.

(2) Tour Director led City Walk Including:

(3) Free Time to visit one of spots above

(4) Dinner included

(5) Canal cruise in evening

• Day 3: Bruges

 Goal: In-depth tour of WW1 battle fields

• Activities:

(1) Visit WW 1 Flanders Fields battlefields, including major cemeteries and memorials

(2) No dinner included

• Day 4: Bruges

 Goal: Recreation day in Bruges

• Activities:

(1) Free time in Morning

(2) Picnic lunch (time/place/market visit arranged, individuals purchase food)

(3) 4 mile Bike Tour (ie Damme Bike Ride)

(4) Dinner included

• Day 5: Bruges to Paris

 Goal: Orientation in Paris

• Activities:

(1) Travel by TRAIN to Paris (earliest direct, if available)

(2) Tour director led sightseeing including:  Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysses, Arc de Triumph

(3) Ascend Arc de Triomphe

(4) Dinner in Montmartre

• Day 6: Paris

 Goal: Plenty of time to see Orsay (allowing 3 hrs) and Notre Dame

• Activities:

(1) City walk: Latin Quarter

(2) Visit Notre Dame Cathedral (including Holocaust memorial)

(3) Mid-day departure by bus for Normandy

(4) Visit Caen Memorial Museum

(5) Dinner included

(6) Overnight in Bayeaux/Caen area

• Day 7: Normandy/D-Day Beaches

 Goal: Visit D-Day Beaches with plenty of time leftover for another activity

• Activities:

(1) Visit Omaha Beach & American Cemetery

(2) Visit German Cemetery

(3) Visit Pointe du Hoc

(4) Visit Mont St Michel

(5) Free time in St Malo

(6) No dinner

(7) Overnight in St Malo with free time for dinner on own here

• Day 8: Paris

 Goal: Art Overload!

• Activities:

(1) Travel by bus back to Paris

(2) Louvre & free time (should arrive back in Paris by late morning)

(3) No dinner included (Rue Cler area good idea, will consult w/ Max day of)

(4) Evening visit to Musee d’Orsay (open until 9:45pm on Thursdays)

• Day 9: Paris to Avignon

 Goal: See Avignon

• Activities:

(1) TGV from Paris to Avignon

(2) Visit Pont du Gard

(3) Travel to Arles

(4) Tour director led city walk Arles

(5) No dinner included

(6) Bull games in Arles (every weds & fri 5pm)

(7) Travel back to Avignon for overnight

• Day 10: Provence Countryside

• Activities

(1) Visit Les Baux de Provence

(2) Horseback ride in the Camargue

(3) Return to Avignon

(4) Visit Palais des Papes

(5) Free time in Avignon

(6) Include dinner

• Day 11: Provence to Nice

• Activities:

(1) Visit Sunday Market in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

(2) Visit Cassis

(3) Calanques Cruise

(4) Continue to Nice

(5) No dinner included, free time Nice

• Day 12: Nice

 Goal: Down time on Beach

• Activities:

(1) Free time in Nice

(2) Traditional Nicoise dinner included

• Day 13: Fly home from Nice, France

Planning for 2011

Barry and I have begun the planning stages of the next trip in 2011.  We are hoping to recruit about 25 students to travel with us.  First priority will be given to Mr. Larsen's current and former students, but others may be welcome, pending space available.  We are looking for students who are honest, dependable, and able to put the needs of the group before their own needs.  While grades are not the only criteria we look at, we do see them as an indicator of what students are like.  Most of all, we want students who are enthusiastic about learning about and experiencing another culture. 

So what's on tap for 2011?

We are thinking that it would be great to see France again.  Plus, Mr. Larsen wants to return to his favorite city in Europe:  Bruges, Belgium.  Right now it looks like the trip will be about 13 days.  It will probably start by flying into Brussels, Belgium, and then traveling to Bruges.  We'd see the historic sights of this perfectly preserved medieval city, as well as the famous WWI battlefields in nearby Flanders.  We also think it would be fun to ride bikes on the canals past windmills to the sea.  Plus, Bruges is one of the best places in the world for beer (for the adults) and chocolate (for everyone)!

From Bruges, we plan to head to Paris, where we'll see art at the Louvre and the Orsay, we'll tour the nearby Normandy coast with its D-Day beaches, and generally have fun in the "City of Lights."  From there, we are thinking of traveling on the high-speed TGV train to the Provence region of southern France to visit ancient Roman ruins,tour medieval hill castles, and enjoy some of the best food in the world.  Oh, yeah, we would also see the "Bullgames", where participants try to take a ribbon off the horns of a bull.  (This is not a bloody bull fight, as these bulls die only from old age.)  We are looking at options for a unique adventure such as hiking, biking, or even floating a river.  Finally, we would head to Nice, France to enjoy the beaches before heading home.

Barry and I are still working on the details and shopping with tour companies for the best price, but we are looking for interested students now.  If you are interested in learning more about the trip, please email Mr. Larsen at larsentravel@yahoo.com, or come by room 825 at Kentwood before or after school, or between classes.  (Don't be tardy!)

****NOTE:  This trip is in no way affiliated with Kentwood High School or the Kent School District.  This is a private tour run by Mr. Thomas Larsen and Mr. Barry Fretwell. 

Welcome To The Blog!

I hope that this blog will be useful for keeping people up to date on what we are doing with the Eurotrips, and also for those of you who traveled with us in the past to post updates on how you are doing and where you've gone since. 

I have left the comments open, so please feel free to comment on any of the posts.  I only ask that you keep it civil by not posting rude, obscene, or insulting comments. 

Thanks for visiting!