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THE NORTHERN SOUL

Art in Belgium and Amsterdam with Sevan Melikyan
April 19–May 1, 2022
Trip Status: CLOSED

Tour Cost:  $5,950; single supplement $1350.
Optional add-on trip to The Hague $1400

Activity Level: Moderate
 
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René Magritte, Le Retour

Artful Journeys is happy to announce that Sevan Melikyan will once again guide an art tour in 2022. Sevan will take us to Belgium and Amsterdam. We'll stay overnight in 3 cities: Brussels, Bruges, and Amsterdam, and make day trips to Ghent and Antwerp. 

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During this 12-day trip, Sevan will cover Northern Renaissance artists such as Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling, and Peter Bruegel; Dutch Golden Age artists such as Rembrandt and Vermeer. We’ll see some spectacular Rubenses and the works of some modern artists such as Mondrian and Magritte. Of course, we can't forget Van Gogh, who has his own museum in Amsterdam. This is an excellent trip to realize that when it comes to painting, this region is the true cradle of The Renaissance. We're planning for April 19 - May 1, 2022. Let's make this post-covid trip come true.

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​We will stay at The Warwick in Brussels and at Hotel Pand in Bruges.  In Amsterdam, we will be staying Hotel JL No 76.
 
The art and architecture will be our primary focus, but we'll also sample beer, chocolate, waffles, and music. We hear that Belgium has excellent food, based on French cuisine, with a northern twist. And we'll try to fit some free time in for you to explore, shop, sleep, or rub your feet.
 
Here's a listing of some of the places Sevan will introduce us to:

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  • Brussels

    • Royal Museums of Fine Arts 

    • Magritte Museum

    • Walking tour of the historic city 

  • Antwerp

    • the Cathedral 

    • the Rubens Museum

    • Royal Museum

    • Mayer van der Bergh Museum

  • Ghent 

    • Bavo's Cathedral

  • Bruges

    • the Hans Memling Museum at Sint-Janshospitaal

    • the Groeninge Museum

    • the Sint-Jakobskerk (St. James) Church

    • Walking tour of the historic city

    • Please don't fall into the water during our canal tour!

  • Amsterdam

    • the Rijksmuseum

    • the Stedelijk

    • the Van Gogh Museum

    • Kröller-Müller Museum

 

Since we will be in that neck of the woods, you will have the option of continuing with a short 3-day add-on trip to Haarlem and the Hague to visit the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem and the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
 
We are limiting the number of people on our Northern Soul trip to 12.  If you are seriously interested in joining Sevan, we encourage you to get your deposit in quickly. This trip is filled. You can put your name on the waiting list, which requires a $250 deposit to secure your place.

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Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Brussels

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St. Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent

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Van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat

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Johannes Vermeer, Milkmaid

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Jan van Eyk, Ghent Altarpiece

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Hans Memling Museum, Bruges

Hosts

YOUR HOSTS

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Sevan Melikyan
Instructor & Tour Guide

Sevan Melikyan is the director of Wired Gallery in High Falls, New York, a founding member and director of Chagall in High Falls, Inc., a lecturer on art museums, and an artist. In 2013, Art Society of Kingston presented Melikyan with its ASKars award in recognition for his “significant contributions to the arts” and The Ulster County Executive recognized Melikyan as an Arts Ambassador. Prior to the U.S., he lived in Paris, France where he earned a BA focusing on arts marketing, and prior to that, in Istanbul, Turkey, where he was born of Armenian parents in 1965.

 

" . . . these trips with you cannot be closer to my core values of sharing amazing art through the ages, with which we also learn about ourselves and our civilization. And my hope is always that at the end of it, people are left to believe in humanity, on our own power to create amazing, positive things. And I also hope they smile, because...I like to be funny!”

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Joan Hill
Owner, Host, & Director

Years ago, it was suggested to Joan that she might offer an art program, and she jumped at the chance of a lifetime. Bringing together all of her life's passions, the development and administration of Artful Journeys is an exhilarating process for Joan.

 

Joan was born and raised in the apple country of the Hudson River Valley in New York; her father was a gentle, very tolerant, educated land surveyor, and her mother was an efficient business administrator and home engineer. The youngest of four children, Joan was encouraged to pursue anything she wanted, but also to do her best. Sometimes that was very difficult, especially succeeding three very accomplished siblings.

Cost

JOURNEY COST

Trip cost is  $5,950.  

  • Add-on trip cost is $1,400.

  • Covid vaccinations necessary and negative test to enter the EU.  Covid testing is not included in trip price.

  • Includes all accommodations, most meals, transportation during trip, concert, museum entry, and other scheduled activity fees, and teacher and admin fees

  • $1350 single supplement.

  • Not included are tips and gratuities, personal purchases, and pampering

  • ​NOTE: A deposit of $500 is required upon registration to secure a place on this Journey

  • Airfare to Brussels and from Amsterdam is not included to enable travelers to use their “travel points,” upgrade flight arrangements, or to extend their trip

  • Travel insurance is strongly encouraged. Please see the Travel Insurance Form

To register for this journey, please click below:

A detailed itinerary and policy page will be provided upon registration.

Please note that PayPal remittances must go through the form on this website.  Thank you.

For details or questions, please click here to contact Joan Hill.
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