DAY ONE: Saturday, November 13, 2010

Depart from JFK for Brussels on Delta Airlines flight 140 departing at 7:10 p.m. Please be at the airport three hours prior to departure.

DAY TWO: Sunday, November 14, 2010

Arrive in Brussels at 9:15 a.m. Welcome to Brussels! Brussels is the capital of Belgium, Flanders and the French Community of Belgium. It is the headquarters of most of the European Union’s institutions, and is considered the de facto capital of Europe. Clear Immigration and Customs and proceed to the bus for a transfer to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel for Divine Liturgy. A breakfast reception follows Liturgy.

Transfer to the Conrad Hotel for check in. This evening is at leisure. Overnight at the Conrad Hotel in Brussels.

DAY THREE: Monday, November 15, 2010

After breakfast, enjoy a private full day tour of the Chevetogne area and an orientation tour of Brussels. Departure from the hotel is at 8:30 a.m. Drive out of Brussels to Chevetogne. The Monastery of Chevetogne was founded in 1925 by Dom Lambert Beauduin (1873-1960). This monk of the Benedictine Abbey of Mont Cesar (Louvain) was previously deeply involved with the liturgical movement in Belgium. When he came to know the Orthodox Christian East, he realized the extent to which the Churches were divided, and started to work for a foundation of a monastery devoted to Christian unity between Rome and the Orthodox Christian world. In the Monastery, there is a Byzantine church built as a permanent and visible sign of the constant prayer for unity of the Christian community and for all to see the spiritual treasures of the Christian East. The Church is dedicated to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (1957).

Upon your return to Brussels, enjoy lunch on your own before beginning an orientation tour of this fabulous city! The tour includes a walking visit of the Grand Place and its Corporation Houses. The Grand Place is Brussels’ top tourist attraction, due to the Gothic magnificence of the Town Hall and the late 17th Century Baroque guildhouses surrounding the square. Appreciate the Palace’s majestic front gates and monumental staircase. The original Palace has been enhanced over the years by the addition of contemporary pieces of installation art commissioned by Queen Paolo. Worth metioning is Jan Fabre’s ceiling, covered with 1.5 million wing-cases from Thai scarab beetles.

Among the sites you will discover with our motorcoach tour are the Royal Square, the Sablon area, the Palace of Justice, the Royal Palace of Brussels, where the King works, and the European Union Buildings. The European Union is a miniature city-within-a-city. The European Parliament, which proudly overlooks the European District, is the largest Parliament in the world. Its members represent 492 million citizens in 27 member states.

In addition, see the the Atomium, one of the symbols of Belgium and a remnant of the 1958 World Exposition in Brussels. It overlooks the cityscape from a height of approximately 300 feet. It symbolizes Modernist optimism and is considered one of the most important buildings of the 1950’s. Five of its nine spheres are open to the public. One sphere houses a permanent exhibition about the 1958 Exposition. Another is home to temporary exhibitions about science, progress and the future. The topmost sphere contains a viewing gallery with a unique panoramic view of Brussels. In the evening, 2,970 flashing lights make the city look magical!

Continue to the Chinese Pavilion and the Japanese Tower. The Chinese Pavilion was commissioned by King Leopold II. The halls are designed in Louis XIV-style and decorated with Chinese motifs, chinaware and silverware. The Japanese Tower is a pagoda inspired by a construction Leopold saw at the Paris Exposition of 1900. King Leopold II asked its architect, Alexandre Marcel, to build him a similar one in Laeken. Onwards to the Royal Palace of Laeken, the official home of the Belgium Royal Family. The castle was built between 1782 - 1784 by Charles de Wailly. The French architect Charles Girault gave it its present outline in 1902. It has been the royal residence since the accession to the throne of King Leopold I in 1831. Next see several religious buildings, such as the Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral.

In 1047, Lambert II, Count of Leuven, brought the relics of Saint Gudula here. The patron Saints of the church, Archangel Michael and the martyr St. Gudula, are also the patron Saints of the city of Brussels. Among the last stops is the Jubilee Arch in Jubel Park. Return to the hotel at 5:30 p.m.

This evening, enjoy an opening reception on the enclosed Terrace of the Conrad Brussels Hotel from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by dinner in Ballroom C from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Overnight in Brussels at the Conrad Hotel.

DAY FOUR: Tuesday, November 16, 2010

After breakfast, 7:30 a.m. transfer to the European Parliament to attend the first day of The International Archon Religious Freedom Conference, “Religious Freedom: Turkey’s Bridge to the European Union”. The conference will be opened by Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, M.D., the National Commander of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, and by Rodi Kratsa Tsagaropoulou, Vice President of the European Parliament, Greece. Following Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis will be His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Director of the the Liason Office of the Orthodox Church to the European Union, delivering the Patriarchal Exhortation. The opening remarks will be given by our beloved Archbishop Demetrios of America, Primate Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch in America.

Following these leaders, prominent speakers will discuss Turkey’s bridge to the European Union. From 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., lunch will be served. The conference ends at 5:00 p.m. Transfer back to the Conrad Hotel.

This evening, we will depart the hotel at 6:00 p.m. for a reception hosted by the Honorable & Mrs. Howard W. Gutman, the United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, at their residence. The reception is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Transfer back to the Conrad Hotel. Balance of the evening at leisure. Overnight in Brussels at the Conrad Hotel.

DAY FIVE: Wednesday, November 17, 2010

After breakfast, attend the second day’s conference at the Conrad Brussels Hotel in Ballroom A, beginning at 9:00 a.m., and focusing on the crossover of Turkey into the European Parliament. Lunch will be served between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Ballroom C. The conference concludes with closing remarks from Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis.

This evening, enjoy the Farewell Reception at the Brussels, Hilton. The bus will depart at 7:00 p.m. The cocktail reception begins at 7:30 p.m. in the En Plein Ciel Ballroom on the 27th floor, offering a stunning view of Brussels. The Grand Banquet follows immediately. At 10:00 p.m., transfer to the Conrad Brussels Hotel. Overnight in Brussels at the Conrad Hotel.

DAY SIX: Thursday, November 18, 2010

After breakfast, enjoy a full day tour to fabulous Ghent and Bruges! The tour will depart the hotel at 9:15 a.m. Drive to Ghent and enjoy a panoramic walking tour of this city. The city is protected by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization. The World Heritage List includes 911 properties which form part of the world’s cultural and natural heritage and which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. These include 704 cultural, 180 natural and 27 mixed properties in 151 states parties.

In the Middle Ages, Ghent became the second largest city of Europe, after Paris, thanks to the luxury woolen cloths. Its medieval cultural heritage is quite important. You will pass by the main buildings and squares of the city, such as the beautiful façades along the ‘Graslei’ and ‘Korenlei’, the Saint Bavo Cathedral with the Mystic lamb painting (the original painting is not on display), the Belfry, the Town Hall, the ‘Butcher’s Hall’, the Castle of the Earls, the bridges and the quaint streets. Drive to Bruges. The city has been listed in the UNESCO World Patrimony (a significant international cultural property) since 2000. Enjoy lunch all together before proceeding on your tour.

The name Bruges dates back to the ninth century, and comes from the Scandinavian ‘bryggja’, which means quay. It is here that the first stock-exchange was born. From the 13th to the 15th Century, Bruges was the commercial link between the hanseatic cities of Scandinavia, England and Germany and other important commercial centers in France, Spain and Italy. Enjoy a walking panoramic tour. You will be able to see the Grand Place, the Burg and the Church of Our Lady, whose spire is Europe’s highest brick tower at approximately 370 feet tall. The tower stands out like a beacon amid the white houses. The sculpture “Madonna and Child”, which can be seen in its transept, is believed to be Michelangelo’s only sculpture to have left Italy within his lifetime.

Another impressive site is the Holy Blood Chapel, a minor Roman Catholic Cathedral, originally built in the 12th century. The basilica is best known as the repository of a venerated phial said to contain a cloth with the blood of Jesus Christ. It was collected by Joseph of Arimathea and brought from the Holy Land by Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders, after the 12th century Second Crusade. Although the Bible never mentions Christ’s blood being preserved, one of the apocryphal gospels asserts that Joseph of Arimathea preserved the Precious Blood after he had washed the dead body of Christ. The basilica consists of a lower and upper chapel. The lower chapel, dedicated to St. Basil the Great, is a dark Romanesque structure that remains virtually unchanged. The venerated relic is in the upper chapel, which was rebuilt in the Gothic style during the 16th century.

Continue your walk to the Belfry, Bruges’ most important tower. It stands 250 feet tall and houses a treasure-chamber, an impressive clock mechanism and a carillon with 47 silver-toned bells. After climbing the 366 stairs, enjoy breathtaking and unforgettable panoramic views of Bruges and its surroundings. Next, see the ancient Saint John’s Hospital, with its 800-year-old history of caring for pilgrims, travelers, and the sick, the Lake of Love and the Beguinage. The Beguinage is a group of whitewashed houses around a tranquil little garden covered with large poplar trees. During the last seven centuries, the Beguines of Bruges lived here. In 1937, the Beguinage became a monastery for the Benedictine sisters who still live there now. Continue your walk along the charming bridges and all the small streets with their beautiful façades, and enjoy all the stunning views over the canals! Return to Brussels approximately 6:00 p.m. Evening at leisure. Overnight at the Conrad Hotel in Brussels.

DAY SEVEN: Friday, November 19, 2010

After breakfast, a departure transfer to the airport will be available at 7:30 a.m. for those departing on Delta Airlines flight 141 departing at 10:45 a.m. and arriving at JFK at 1:35 p.m. If anyone would like to join the group, you may do so providing that there is space.