Euro- Continental Discovery

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We have provided the following sample itinerary to give you a better feel for the experience. The actual itinerary may vary slightly. A formal itinerary, including a list of confirmed

accommodations will be sent to you 4-‐6 weeks prior to the start of the program.

DAY #1 | Tuesday | Take Off!

• Depart from New York City on a supervised group flight (optional)

Spend the night in the sky en route to Europe

DAY #2 | Wednesday | Welcome to Europe

• Arrive to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in the morning

• Meet our local staff and travel and get acquainted to Amsterdam on walking tour

• Voyage through the canals of Amsterdam on a pedal boat tour

• Group welcome dinner at VaPiano Restaurant

• Overnight: Atlantis Hotel – Amsterdam, Netherlands

DAY #3 | Thursday | Dutch Countryside

• Anne Frank House – Visit to the site of her hiding in Amserdam

• Explore the fascinating history of Dutch Jews at the Jewish Museum and at Amsterdam’s

famous Portuguese Synagogue

• Learn about Dutch cheese-‐making techniques at Clara Maria Farm

• Explore the picturesque Dutch countryside’s windmills on bicycle

• Overnight: Atlantis Hotel – Amsterdam, Netherlands

DAY #4 | Friday | Anne Frank & Fort Breendok

• Depart Amsterdam and begin traveling south to Belgium

• Visit to Fort Breendonk – The transit point to Auschwitz for Belgian Jews

• Arrive to Brussels, capital of Belgium, in the late afternoon

• Attend a Belgian chocolate making demonstration and tasting at Planet Chocolate

• Check-‐in tour central accommodations and prepare for Shabbat

• Celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat in Brussels

• Overnight: Hotel Chambord – Brussels, Belgium

DAY #5 | Saturday | Shabbat in Brussels

• Shabbat morning programming and lunch

• Learn about the European system on a guided tour of the European Parliament

• Enjoy a relaxed, picnic-‐style afternoon at Brussels Park

• Walk to dinner at Le Cercle des Voyageurs

• Overnight: Hotel Ibis Brussels Centre, Brussels, Belgium

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DAY #6 | Sunday | Crossing the English Channel

• Depart Brussels and travel westwards to Port Calais

• Cross the English Channel on a ferry bound for Dover in the United Kingdom

• Tour of the Dover Castle, famous chalk cliffs and WWII-‐era miliary tunnels

• Travel to London, and check-‐in to our accommodations

• Overnight: Quality Inn Wembley Hotel – London, England

DAY #7 | Monday | London, England

• Take the “tube” to the center of London, to Trafalgar Square

• Watch the Changing of the Guards ceremony at Buckingham Palace

• Lunch and exploration time in Trafalgar Square

• Photo ops outside Westminster Abbey and view Big Ben clock tower

• Evening: Ride the London Eye, London's iconic ferris wheel

DAY #8 | Tuesday | Oxford, England

• London service project – e.g. work with a migrant community

• Nature walk and group building activity at Alice Holt Forest

• Return to London in the afternoon

DAY #9 | Wednesday | London, England

• Discover the world of the “Bard” touring Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

• Lunch and exploration time in Borough Market

• Peek into British history while exploring the British Museum

DAY #10 | Thursday | Stonehenge, England

• Depart London for the English countryside

• Grapple with the ancient mystery of Stonehenge

• Arrive to Portsmouth on the English Channel

• Overnight: Hotel Campanile-‐ Caen, France

DAY #11 | Friday | Normandy, France

• Depart Caen and drive towards Normandy

• Visit to the Normandy Memorial Centre for History and Peace

• Recount the D-‐Day Landing at Omaha Beach in Normandy

• Solemnly explore Normandy’s U.S. military cemetery from World War II

• Arrive to Paris, check-‐in to our accommodations and prepare for Shabbat

• Attend Kabbalat Shabbat services at Mouvement Juif Liberal de France Synagogue

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DAY #12 | Saturday |

Shabbat in Paris

• Shabbat programming and picnic-‐style lunch at a park along the River Seine

• Paris on foot – Walk under the Arc De Triomphe and explore the Champs Elysées

• Afternoon at the Louvre – View Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting and much more

• Overnight: Hotel Beaugrenelle Tour Eiffel – Paris, France

DAY #13 | Sunday | Discovering Jewish Paris

• Walking tour of the historic Paris Jewish district – La Marais

• Explore the palace and grounds of Versailles – Home to French Royalty and Mary Antoinette

• Return to Paris and stop at the Vel' d'Hiv Round-‐Up Memorial en route

• Overnight: Hotel Beaugrenelle Tour Eiffel – Paris, France

DAY #14 | Monday | The Art of Paris

• Climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower

• Afternoon exploring the streets od Montmarte and Sacre Coeur

• Board an overnight train from Paris to Padua, Italy via Switzerland

DAY #15 | Tuesday | Rafting in Slovenia

• White water rafting down the Soca – One of Europe’s most beautiful rivers!

• Travel through the Slovenian mountains to Lake Bled deep in the Slovenian mountains

• Overnight: Hotel Ribno – Bled, Slovenia

DAY #16 | Wednesday | Adventures in the Backcountry

• Take a boat ride to tiny Bled Island in the middle of the crystal blue lake

Make a wish! Ring the island’s legendary wishing bell

• Visit Ljubljana – Slovenia’s capital – Take in the views from a castle towering over the city

• Test out your problem solving skills as you decipher codes in the Escape Room

• Overnight: Hotel Ribno – Bled, Slovenia

DAY #17 | Thursday | The Venice Ghetto

• Cool off navigating underground through the Postojna cave system

• Cross back from Slovenia into Italy and travel to Venice

• Say goodbye to our bus and enter the water-‐filled streets of the Venice old city

• Navigate Venice while riding traditional gondolas along the canals

• Overnight: Hotel Nazionale – Venice, Italy

DAY #18 | Friday | Islands of Venice

• Set sail for the islands of Murano and Burano

Experience a traditional Venetian glass-‐making factory

• Travel to Lido Island and enjoy beach time and swimming in the Adriatic Sea

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• Attend Kabbalat Shabbat services at the Spanish Synagogue in the Venice Ghetto

• Learn about contemporary Jewish Venice over a traditional Shabbat dinner

DAY #19 | Saturday | Shabbat in Venice

• Shabbat morning program and lunch with the Jewish community

• Venice on foot! – Explore Piazza San Marco, including the Basilica and Ducale Palace

• Evening: Group night out on the town in Venice

DAY #20 | Sunday | The Italian Countryside

• Learn about the Venetian history of the word “ghetto” at the Jewish Museum

• Depart Venice and travel across central Italy

• Discover modern Italian style at the Ferrari Museum!

• Overnight: Hotel Nizza et Suisse – Montecatini, Italy

DAY #21 | Monday | Cinque Terre, Italy

• Spend the day exploring five picuresque villages nestled between the sea and the mountains

Cool off hiking down to the beach at Monterosso Village

DAY #22 | Tuesday | Florence, Italy

• Discover the art of making fresh Italian pasta at Pastificio Fabbri

• Explore Florence – the Duomo, Piazza San Lorenzo and the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge)

• Climb to the top of the Campanile Tower for a stunning panoramic view of Florence

• Tour the Great Synagogue – One of the world’s most beautiful synagogues

• The Art of Florence – View Michelangelo’s David Statue at the Galleria dell'Accademia

DAY #23 | Wednesday | Pisa, Italy

• Travel to Pisa -‐ Climb the leaning Tower of Pisa and explore the Square of Miracles

• Travel south along the coast towards Rome

• Channel your inner warrior taking part in a “Gladiator for a Day” training

• Arrive to Rome and check-‐in to our centrally located accommodations

• Overnight: Hotel Nord Nuova – Rome, Italy

DAY #24 | Thursday | The Roman Empire

• Get oriented to the seven hills of Rome from Palatine Hill

Recount the legend of Romulus and Remus –the founding story of Rome

• Explore Rome’s underworld in the ancient Domitilla Catacombs

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• Walk in the footsteps of the Roman Empire at the Coliseum and at the Forum Romanum

DAY #25 | Friday | Vatican City

• Explore Vatican City in the heart of Rome – St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Sistine Chapel

• Tour Ostia Antica – ancient harbor city to ancient Rome – and enjoy final beach time in Italy!

• Return to Rome and prepare for Shabbat at our accommodations

• Evening: Kabbalat Shabbat services at the Oratorio di Castro Synagogue

DAY #26 | Saturday | Shabbat in Rome

• Shabbat programming and lunch

• Walking tour of Rome’s Jewish Quarter

The oldest continually settled Jewish community outside Israel

• Continue exploring Rome on foot – stop at the Pantheon Temple and Fontana di Trevi

• Evening: Make a wish in the Trevi Fountain

DAY #27 | Sunday | Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvius

• Guided tour of Pompeii – The preserved ancient Roman city

• Drive up to Mount Vesuvius and peer into volcano’s crater

• Return to Rome in the evening for a final dinner party and group session

• Overnight: Ostia Antica Park Hotel – Rome, Italy

DAY #28 | Monday | Ciao Italy!

• Depart from on a supervised group flight in the early afternoon (optional)