North West Norfolk DFAS presents
17th Century Art and Music
in Holland
with Peter Medhurst
9th – 15th April 2012
from £1399 per person
The tour, based in the delightful city of Delft has been designed to show the very best of the art and 17th century music of the area. With our expert Peter Medhurst accompanying us throughout, we will have wonderful visits to Delft, The Hague, Rotterdam and Leiden as well as venturing over the border to Antwerp. We travel in comfort by trains to Holland and will be accommodated in a picturesque canalside hotel in the centre of Delft.
ITINERARY
Day 1
Travelling by train from Kings Lynn to London, we will meet Peter Medhurst at St Pancras International Station for the journey to Holland. Board the Eurostar for a morning departure to Brussels. Change trains at Brussels for the local train on to The Hague. We will be met by a coach at The Hague and be transferred to our hotel in the centre of Delft. Check into the hotel.
Optional late afternoon walk through the historic quarter of Delft, taking in the historic Oude Delft en route. Group dinner at a local restaurant in Delft (included).
Day 2
9.00 am Lecture: History of the modern Low Countries
This morning we take a guided walk around Delft, which will include visits to the Nieuwe Church in the Market Square, Vermeer’s birthplace, and the very fine Vermeer Centre. The Vermeer Centre contains permanent exhibitions of subjects connected with the life and work of Vermeer, and includes a mock-up of his studio. Lunch included today.
In the afternoon we visit the Prinsenhof Museum, which was originally a 15th century nunnery of St Agatha, but later became the residence of the Princes of Orange. Today the museum displays an outstanding collection of paintings associated with 17th century Dutch history, and has fine examples of textiles and period furniture. Afterwards we will walk around the Oude Church, where Vermeer is buried. Dinner at leisure in Delft (not included).
Day 3
9.00 am Lecture: The Mauritshuis Museum
Today we go to The Hague to visit to the Panorama Mesdag to view the immense panorama of Scheveningen painted in the late 19th century by Mesdag. We continue to the Mauritshuis where we will view the impressive collection of paintings.
This afternoon we take the opportunity to view the world famous bulbs at the Keukenhof Gardens. Dinner at leisure in Delft (not included).
Day 4
In the morning we travel to the University town of Leiden (often called ‘little Amsterdam’) where we visit the Boerhave Museum. In terms of the history of science and medicine, the collections in this museum are among the most important in the world. The museum possesses a reconstructed traditional anatomical theatre, and has galleries that display – among other things – the apparatus with which Heike Kamerlingh Onnes first liquefied helium (in Leiden), the electromagnet equipment used by Wander Johannes de Haas (a Leiden physicist) for his low-temperature research, and an example of the Leiden jar.
The afternoon is at leisure in Leiden, giving us a chance to visit to the Stedelijk Museum to view Rembrandt’s landscapes, or take a boat tour on the canals, or simply enjoy a stroll through the town, taking in its old world atmosphere. Sited around the town are Pannekoeken (pancake) houses which could be a good choice for lunch.
Evening in Delft at leisure. (Neither lunch nor dinner are included today).
Day 5
9 am Lecture: What to see in the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum
Morning visit to Boijmans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam, which exhibits art ranging from medieval to the modern. The museum houses the joint collections of Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans (d 1847) and Daniel George van Beuningen (d 1955), hence the name of the building. Paintings include: Bruegel’s Tower of Bable Metsu’s A Woman at the Virginals, Titian’s Boy with Dogs in a Landscape, and the famous ‘fake Vermeer’ by Vanmeegeren.
Lunch at the museum (not included).
Return to Delft for the afternoon, which will give people an opportunity to take a canal trip or visit the famous Delft porcelain factory. Dinner at a local restaurant (included).
Day 6
9.00 am Morning lecture: Constantiyn Huygens ~ a 17th century Renaissance Man
Today we visit the Hofwijck, in Voorburg, the small moated country house of Constantiyn Huygens, 17th century diplomat, poet and amateur musician. Travel to the Hofwijk will be by boat, along the Vliet Canal, from Delft and will take approximately 1½ hours. After morning coffee, there will be a private tour of the House followed by a break for lunch in nearby Voorburg (not included) and an organ recital by Peter Medhurst on the 17th century chamber organ and the large 19th century organ in the parish church of Voorburg. Return to Delft by coach.
Dinner at a local restaurant (included in the price)
Day 7
Leave Delft for the journey, by coach, to Antwerp to visit the Cathedral and the Vleeshuis Museum, which is a Gothic hall, built 1501-4, housing one of the most important collections in Europe of early musical instruments. The museum exhibits a virginal of the type depicted in Vermeer’s paintings. After lunch (not included) we will continue on to Brussels, by coach in order to take the Eurostar back to the UK. Return to Kings Lynn by train.
Peter Medhurst and Travel Editions reserve the right to amend the order of excursions.
Hotel – Johannes Vermeer Hotel, Delft
This small historical 3-star hotel enjoys a
wonderful location in Delft’s lovely old town.
Friendly and full of character, the hotel has
well-appointed rooms with private facilities, TV &
telephone. The hotel prides itself on its excellent
service.
Please note there is no lift in the hotel.
For more details please visit
Transport
Return travel from Kings Lynn to London and London to Holland will be by train. Timings will be given on your confirmation once timetables have been released.
At this stage travel between Kings Lynn and Kings Cross has not been included in the detailed price as group prices are not yet available. The costs will be given to you once they have been confirmed.
Once in Holland and Belgium, travel will be by private coach.
Included In The Price
- Return Eurostar and local trains, standard class
- Coaching throughout your time in Holland and Belgium
- 6 nights accommodation on bed and breakfast basis at detailed 3 star hotel
- 3 evening meals at local restaurants and 1 lunch at a local restaurant (drinks not included)
- Full touring itinerary, as detailed
- Entrance fees to places of interest, as per the itinerary
- Lectures and services of Peter Medhurst
- Tour Manager throughout
Not Included In The Price
- Single room supplement – £260 per person (very limited availability)
- Travel Insurance – £55 if aged 70+ / £30 if aged 69 or under
- Drinks & meals not mentioned above
- Tips
- Personal expenditure
HOW TO BOOK
In order to secure your place on this tour, please contact Carol Knowles on 01328 738766
or email: brian.knowles@homecall.co.uk
A Travel Editions booking form will need to be completed and returned to Carol Knowles, with a deposit of £200 per person at the below address:
Carol Knowles. Church House, Burnham Overy Town, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE31 8HU
Cheques should be made payable to TRAVEL EDITIONS
Bookings should be received as soon as possible in order to guarantee your place
About Peter Medhurst
Peter Medhurst is well known to NADFAS audiences as an experienced lecturer, musician and tour leader who specializes in music and the visual arts. He has a particular interest in the music and the paintings of the 17th century Netherlands, and has given lectures all over the world on Vermeer and his musical paintings. He trained as a singer at the Royal College of Music with Redvers Llewellyn and Edgar Evans, and went on to study at the Mozarteum, in Salzburg, with Erik Werba. He also studied the harpsichord with Ruth Dyson, who later became his accompanist in a partnership that lasted nearly twenty years. He is a familiar face to London audiences at the South Bank, the Barbican, The National Gallery and the V&A, and farther a field to those on the Continent, Australia and South Africa.
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