Belgium and the Netherlands – Live It, Love It, Shoot It

Your journey to Belgium and Netherlands begins with an overnight flight from the U.S./Canada to Amsterdam, Netherlands. The tour does not include any free time in Amsterdam. The city is filled with many museums and tourist activities. If you would like us to reserve additional evenings at the hotel to see the sights or just get over jet lag, please email Strabo as soon as possible with approximate number of evenings. This is very busy time of year as you can imagine, therefore we should arrange early to prevent having to stay at another hotel. Public transportation can be taken to the train station or private taxi can be taken to the hotel.

PLEASE NOTE: International airline ticket will need to be booked multi-city: Home/ Amsterdam (AMS), Brussels (BRU)/Home.

Arrive prior to 2PM. The first meeting will be in the hotel lobby at approximately 3PM. Depart to photograph idyllic Dutch villages, with their old wooden houses and surrounding dykes. Marken and Edam, the later known for its famous cheese market and old port. Driving further north to the smaller harbor of Enkhuizen, before returning to photograph the windmills at Zaanse Schans, providing a full portfolio of Dutch icons for any visitor.

The next day enjoy breakfast on your own at various coffee shops within walking distance of the hotel. Your local guide will take you to the best places to photograph in Amsterdam, away from the typical tourist sites. Photograph the quiet neighborhoods, architectural reflections in the canals, all creating a fairytale vibe. After an afternoon break at the hotel, begin again as the whole place sparkles to life as a special atmosphere descends on the city. Capture the light trails of boats and the silky dreaminess of the canals with night photography techniques. Weather permitting – photograph the best place in Amsterdam for sunset.Overnight Amsterdam (none; L)

The next morning depart via coach to the picturesque village of Giethoorn. Giethoorn is a very peaceful place, such simple beauty that it hardly seems real. Walk past boats gliding along small canals, and old but pretty thatched-roof farmhouses. See boats drift under a wooden bridge where an elderly resident may be going to see a neighbor. No this is not Venice, or Amsterdam. It is too quiet, too serene and remote. It is so calm that its nickname of the “Dutch Venice” may give a false impression of size and crowds and commercialism.

Reboard the coach with your photo tour leader and travel south of Amsterdam to Lisse where you will prepare for a full day of photography tomorrow amidst the flowering bulbs. Although the weather can be unpredictable the tour has been timed around visiting the famous Keukenhoff Gardens, staying within walking distance. Bicycles will be provided for those that would like to travel as the locals do. With almost 80 acres of gardens, one could get memorized in the colorful seven million tulip bulbs that are planted each year in the park. The gardens have optional boat rental as well through the canals. Enjoy another full day tomorrow to capture your favorite places in different light. Overnight Lisse (B all days)

Depart Lisse this morning for a photography session at Kinderdijk Netherlands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring 18^th century windmills. The village is a unique icon of the Dutch water management system. Waterways, footpaths and bikeways crisscross the area, leading to preserved working windmills. Continue on to Belgium for three days in the quintessential Brugge. Bruges or Brugge (Dutch), is almost a perfect medieval fairytale town.

The next day start early taking a boat ride along the canals, getting off at various locations for photography.  Your local guide will point out interesting details and give you facts on what you are seeing to help your shooting time along the way. You will be covering plenty of locations, chasing the morning light. Reconvene with local guide as the day winds down, see a city lost in time as the lights turn on, it is simply a sight to behold.  The cobbled lanes and canals link the market squares, they are so picture perfect that you may find it difficult to put your camera away and absorb the beauty. The architecture, with Gothic and Baroque buildings is truly jaw-dropping.

Your last full day in Brugge enjoy a day trip to the quaint town of Damme. Damme is just 3.5 miles from Brugges, transport via mini-bus or those that wish to bicycle can do so with bikes from the hotel. Cycling is a fantastic way to see some of the quaint Belgian countryside without having to travel far from the city, the ride is mostly straight and flat. Damme’s rich history stretches back to the 12^th century and was the site where Canadian troops fought to liberate Holland in World War II. Overnight Three Evenings Brugge (B, D; B, L; B)

Those that want to capture more images early morning in Brugge may do so on their own, and the group will then depart for a photography tour of Ghent. The City of Ghent is a university town and cultural hub. It is one of the most underrated, picturesque medieval cities; it’s nothing short of spectacular. Sitting at the confluence of two rivers in the Flemish lowlands, it boasts a non-auto center area flush with churches, striking merchant houses, squares, and cobbled streets. Transfer to Brussels airport hotel for the evening. (B)

Depending on your flight time this morning enjoy breakfast at the hotel. There is a hotel airport shuttle for your departure. (B)