Springtime in Holland and Belgium April 25

Springtime in
Holland and Belgium
April 25-May 7, 2015
Join University of Illinois Master Gardener Coordinator Monica David for an exciting tour of
the tulips and the springtime gardens of Holland and Belgium. The group will also visit
some of the historical highlights of these two lovely countries. Registration is open to anyone with an interest in gardens, with preference given to Illinois Master Gardeners.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1—Saturday, April 25
Chicago– Amsterdam
Day 2– Sunday, April 26
Amsterdam-Haarlem
Travel overnight from Chicago to Amsterdam.
We arrive into Amsterdam early this morning. Time to freshen up and have a light lunch.
Our activity today is a wonderful canal house and garden tour with Andre Ancion. Discover the hidden secrets behind the facades of Amsterdam canal houses. Andre will provide
us architectural, interior and garden information of these 17th century houses as well as
stories of the merchant families who lived there.
Welcome Dinner
Carlton Square Hotel in Haarlem
Day 3– Monday, April 27
Haarlem
Today we visit the tulip fields of Keukenhof. This world renowned display garden is a 70
acre estate where over 7 million bulbs are planted annually by local growers. The pavilions
feature 30 alternating flower and plant shows. Discover the latest trends in gardening and
get new ideas from the seven inspirational demonstration gardens. Numerous works of art
are shown to advantage among the flowers.
Next we will visit the Royal Delft factory– the only remaining factory of 32 earthenware
factories established in Delft in the 17th century. On our way back to Haarlem we will
drive through the glorious bulb fields– which should be in bloom this time of year.
Dinner at leisure
Carlton Square Hotel in Haarlem
Day 4—Tuesday, April 28
Today we start very early with the amazing and world renowned
Aalsmeer Flower Market. This is the largest flower market in
the world and visitors walk out over a gallery through the auction
complex. During your tour of the auction complex you will hear
information over an audio system (in English, French, German,
Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew and Czech).
Haarlem
We then will have lunch at De Kas Restaurant (included). In
2001, top chef Gert Jan Hageman, who had earned a Michelin
star in Dutch haute cuisine, found a new direction for his own career and a new purpose
for the old greenhouse that belonged to Amsterdam's Municipal Nursery. The greenhouse,
which dated from 1926, was due to be demolished. With a lot of luck and, most importantly, with help from the municipality and his family and friends, Hageman succeeded in converting the unique 8-metre high glass building into a restaurant and nursery.
This day will also feature a visit to a Commercial Bulb Grower to learn about planting,
cultivation, harvesting and marketing bulbs.
Late afternoon–early evening canal cruise in Amsterdam.
Carlton Square Hotel in Haarlem
Day 5—Wednesday, April 29
Today is a free day to explore Haarlem and
Amsterdam. Only 15 minutes by train, Haarlem
makes an excellent base for visitors to Amsterdam.
Haarlem is at the center of the Dutch flower-growing
district and is a main export point for bulbs. It is located on the banks of the Spaarne River and is actually the provincial capitol of North Holland. Haarlem
dates back to Gothic times and has beautiful architecture and cobbled streets.
Amsterdam-Haarlem
Amsterdam is one the greatest small cities in the world. It
has all the advantages of a big city– culture, museums,
nightlife, and international restaurants but is quiet with
little road traffic due to the lovely romantic waterways and
canals. You may choose to visit the Anne Frank House, the
Van Gogh Museum, The Rijksmuseum (National museum)
or stroll along the Prinsengracht canal and visit the floating flower market.
Carlton Square Hotel in Haarlem
Day 6—Thursday, April 30
Haarlem-Otterlo/Apeldoorn
Todays highlight will be the Palace of Het Loo. Built
in the late 17th century in the forest of the Hoge Veluwe, the palace of Het Loo was inhabited by members
of the House of Orange until 1975. First to live there
was Stadtholder William III, who was to become king
of England in 1689 and for whom it was originally built
as a hunting-lodge. When the Stadtholder's family was
in exile during the French Revolution, the palace was
lived in from 1806-1810 by Napoleon's brother, Louis
Napoleon, the first King of Holland. He had the garden re-planted in the English landscape
style. In 1814 the palace became the property of the state and was used by members of
the House of Orange until 1975. On the death of Queen Wilhelmina it was turned into a
national museum. The palace and gardens were opened to the public in June 1984. The
palace's type of baroque garden is unique to the Netherlands. The layout as we see it today is a reconstruction of how it was laid out at the time it was built, based on contemporary accounts, records, paintings and drawings, and archaeological evidence revealed during the reconstruction process. However some evidence of Louis Napoleon's landscape
garden remains in the form of the mature copper beeches and tulip trees growing in the
parterres around the King's Fountain.
Our second stop today is the Kroller Muller Museum. Helene Kroller-Muller collected almost 11,500 art objects with capitol paid for by her husband Anton Koller, director of Wm.
H. Muller & Co. The sculpture garden here is world–renowned.
Hotel Keizerskroon in Apeldoorn
Day 7—Friday, May 1
Apeldoorn
Described as the “most beautiful garden” in the Netherlands, the De Wiersse Garden is
our first stop today. Surrounded by its farmland and woods, away from the world, lies the
moated manor house, with 38 acres of garden and 74 acres of landscape park, lived in,
designed and managed by the family since 1678. In this historic and beautifully kept garden a sequence of surprises awaits the visitor – avenues and pergolas, fountains and statues, meadows and formal parterres, bridges over a gently flowing stream and a serpentine
tunnel of beech. Guided tours start in April to take advantage of the flowering of the wild
daffodils – as well as of countless other bulbs and spring flowers, naturalized in the woodland and meadow.
Next the group will drive to Piet Oudolf’s Garden in Hummelo. Piet Oudolf is an influential Dutch garden designer,
nurseryman and author. He is a leading figure of the "New
Perennial" movement, using bold drifts of herbaceous perennials and grasses which are chosen at least as much for their
structure as for their flower color. His list of design projects
includes the High Line (New York City, 2006), Battery Park
(New York City, 2003), ABN Amro Bank (Netherlands, 2000),
and the Lurie Garden (Chicago, 2003). His own garden, at
Hummelo, near Arnhem in the Netherlands has been created since 1982. It has gone
through many changes which reflect Oudolf's constantly developing planting design.
Hotel Keizerskroon in Apeldoorn
Day 8—Saturday, May 2
Apeldorn-Antwerp
This morning we drive about 1 1/2 hours to Appeltern to visit the De Tuinen van Appeltern. This is a 23 hectare park with over 200
model display gardens with the largest collection
of plants in the Netherlands. Stroll through the
national fixed plant garden, a vast sculpture garden, the Living Garden of Sustainability, a charming plant market and natural outdoor spaces for
children while you learn about the latest gardening trends.
We will travel on to Antwerp.
Rubens Hotel in Antwerp
Day 9—Sunday, May 3
Antwerp-Brugge
Enjoy the Rubenshuis, home of the great painter
Peter Paul Rubens. Most of Rubens’s works were
created in this studio. On the work floor, he
demonstrated his talent as artist and organiser.
Pupils, assistants and colleagues assisted him in the
production of more than 2,500 ‘Rubens paintings’.
During the restoration that took place in the 1940's,
the garden of the Rubens House was completely
re-laid. It has been faithfully reconstructed to depict
the garden from Ruben’s painting The Walk in the
Garden. The garden opens into a straight axis
between four parterres which lead to the Pavilion of hercules. The parterres are planted
with colorful perennials, herbs and potted lemons and figs.
Next up today is the Gardens of Antoon de Clercq. In the first years, only the small
area around the house was designated as the garden.
As the years passed, he persuaded neighboring farmers to give up pasture land and his garden continued
to grow. Hence the name “Pascua Garden” which is
Latin for pasture garden. There are over 1,500 species of rhododendrons in this garden along with Magnolia, Prunus, Camelia, Cornus, Hamamelis. In front
of the house white hydrangeas, rose and clematis are
cool and delicate against the large collections of evergreens. A box hedge surrounds the garden and a
group of blue conifers clipped like lollipops grace a
clipped columnar yew hedge.
Hotel Navarra in Brugge
Day 10—Monday, May 4
Brugge
The historic town of Bruges Belgium (Brugge) is a gorgeous
Gothic city located near the Belgium coast. In the 11th century, Bruges was one of the world's largest cities. Today, it
is a popular tourist destination that features famous landmarks, tourist attractions and some great museums and art
galleries.
Brugge is an outstanding example of a medieval historic settlement, which has maintained its historic fabric as this has
evolved over the centuries, and where original Gothic constructions form part of the town's identity. As one of the commercial and cultural capitals
of Europe, Brugge developed cultural links to different parts of the world. It is closely associated with the school of Flemish Primitive painting.
We will have a short tour of Brugge before having the afternoon at leisure.
Hotel Navarra in Brugge
Day 11—Tuesday, May 5
David and Alice van Buuren Museum. We will
visit the Art Deco house of the David and Alice
van Buuren husband and wife, with it’s collection
of works of art from the 16th to the 20th century.
The gardens were laid out by Jules Buyssens and
René Pechère. Forty five years later, Alice considered René Pechère's gardens as a complement of
her villa. The actual garden is made of the
"Picturesque Garden", "The Labyrinth", and "The
Garden of the Heart". The "Picturesque Garden"
was designed by Jules Buyssens in the twenties,
and represents the geometrical ideas of the Art
Deco era.
Brugge-Ghent
Today we are fortunate to visit the Royal Gardens in
Brussels. One of the most anticipated spring garden
events in Brussels is the opening of the Royal Greenhouses at the Palace in Laeken Belgium. The palace is
the main residence of the Belgian Royal family and
their private grounds are only open to the public for
several weeks in the spring. The glass house complex
was built between 1874 and 1895 and is 2.5 hectares.
The plant collection includes giant palms and ferns
from Africa, azaleas, geraniums, orchids and bleeding
hearts among many others. The Winter Garden and
Orangery are spectacular with tropical plants from all over the world.
Hotel NH Belfort in Ghent
Day 12—Wednesday, May 6
Ghent
Today we drive to Annevoie Castle and Gardens.
The gardens were constructed between 1758 and
1778 and were influenced by Charles-Alexis travels in
Italy, France and England. The gardens feature over
twenty ornamental ponds and lakes fed by approximately fifty water jets and waterfalls, and are widely
regarded as some of the best, not only in Belgium,
but also in the whole of Europe. Behind the chateau
and past the giant columnar beeches are a series of
allés bordered by hornbeam hedges and filled with
bright flowers such as snapdragons. A gloomy grotto
features a figure of Neptune sitting beside one of the four water sources. High on the hill
above the castle is the Grand Canal and a stroll along the length of the canal is rumored
to make you one year younger.
Afternoon at leisure.
Farewell dinner tonight.
Hotel NH Belfort in Ghent
Day 13—Thursday, May 7
Ghent-Brussels-Chicago
We board our motor coach to return to Brussels for our flight back to Chicago.
Trip Details
Tour cost per passenger (twin share) $4,100. Single supplement is $850. Airfare is not
included and will be released in June 2014.
Tour cost covers all hotels, luxury coach transportation, entrance to all gardens and attractions listed in the itinerary, 11 breakfasts, 5 dinners and 1 lunch.
Should a garden not be available a suitable alternative will be included.
To book the tour or for more information contact Robyn Gulstrom 269-629-9248 or
[email protected]