For more information or an application package please contact: Janis Stahlhut jstahlhut@me.com or Richard Cable r.cable@sbcglobal.net

Windmills, diamonds and so much more as we enjoy leisurely countryside rides, stopping along the way to smell the roses. After a biking tour of Amsterdam, we will ride through the South Holland and Flemish lowland polders, visit the UNESCO cultural heritage site, Kinderdijk, with its iconic line of 19 windmills, see the

massive lock and wind farm of Kreekraksluis, and discover historic, quaint Ghent. After navigating the port of Antwerp, we will stay in the city itself - the diamond center and capital of cool, then finish our trip with a night at the 4-star Hotel Duke’s Palace spa in perhaps the most beautiful Flemish city of all, Bruges.

Our floating hotel is the comfortable, boutique, and environmentally friendly MS Gandalf. Each double-share room has 2 low beds, shower and toilet, central heating and windows that open. A large salon serves as our on-board restaurant, where the galley crew will prepare luscious meals from the freshest local ingredients. Two sun decks provide additional seating and lounging areas and storage for the bikes. Our boat is equipped with a double-roof of solar panels, to run for a great part on green energy! And, since the ship hardly needs to use a generator to produce electricity, the nights are still and quiet on board.

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Bike & Boat Amsterdam-Bruges: Windmills & DiamondsLeader: Janis Stahlhut Trip 1805 Co-leader: Richard (Dick) Cable

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ACCOMMODATIONS & MEALS:3 star hotel, 4 star spa hotel, and a chartered boat, all with en suite facilities. Meals in hotels or restaurants (not included in trip price); full board on the boat. Min 14, max 16 pax + 2 AMC leaders.

ITINERARYDay 1/Thur 12 July: Depart USDay 2/Fri 13 July: Arrive Amsterdam, overnight in City Centre.

Day 3/Sat 14 July (B/D), morning bike tour to explore Amsterdam in the morning. before boarding the MS Gandalf. Around 2 PM the ship leaves Amsterdam and travels to the towns of Nigtevecht

and Breukelen. From here we take a short ride along the scenic and winding small river Vecht. At the end of the afternoon the boat takes us to Vianen, a small fortified town on the river Lek.

Day 4 (B/L/D), Vianen–Dordrecht (50 km). After breakfast we will cycle a beautiful route to Schoonhoven, the city of

silver, then further through the Alblasserwaard to Kinderdijk. There, an impressive row of 19 large windmills appears (UNESCO cultural heritage). Then the boat takes us further to Dordrecht, one of the oldest towns in Holland and an important hub in the shipping industry.

Day 5 (B/L/D), Dordrecht–Antwerp (35 km). After breakfast we will cycle from Tholen through a forest area, “the Wouwse Plantage“, towards the south to the impressive lock of Kreekraksluis. We will meet the

boat at the end of the dam and navigate through the port of Antwerp to the city. Antwerp is not only known as a diamond city, but also as native city of the painter Rubens. Some of his paintings will be found in the “Onze Lieve Vrouwe (our lady) Cathedral”. After dinner we have the chance to visit the beautiful old city centre.

Day 6 (B/L/D), Antwerp–Dendermonde (45/55 km). After breakfast we cycle out of the port

to the Zeeschelde. We follow this beautiful but capricious tidal river upstream to Dendermonde. There

is a beautiful bike path along the river, and the landscape around the Schelde is magnificent. We will cycle either to St-Amands or

Dendermonde, a friendly little town along the river.

Day 7 (B/L/D), Dendermonde–Gent (40/53 km). Ghent is a lively university city with a rich past. In the afternoon we have the opportunity to discover the city or to shop in the lively centre. The city was founded in Roman times, where the rivers Leie and

Schelde converge. Its convenient location has over the years brought much prosperity, culminating in the late 13th, early

14th century. The textile industry brought great wealth; and many old patrician houses are preserved. The main church, St. Bavo Cathedral, which is built in different ages and in different styles, hosts some masterpieces of medieval art; “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” by Jan van Eyck is the most famous among

them. The ship is docked at the lock in Merelbeke, a suburb of Ghent.

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(ITINERARY, continued)Day 8 (B/L/D), Gent–Bruges (45 km). We begin our biking just outside the city and go through the pleasant country side of Western Flanders to Bruges. Its old centre, which dates from the Middle Ages, is almost completely intact. During those times, Bruges was a metropolitan center of commerce and art. Today it is also known for its shopping and nightlife.

Day 9 (B/L/D), Bruges–North Sea (50 km). Our final bike tour takes us to a quiet canal along streets lined with poplars, through an attractive polder landscape with nice small farm houses, to the North Sea coast. A 12 kilometer long sandy beach, numerous cafés and the attractive dune landscape of “Het Zwin” (a unique nature reserve) provide a serene setting for our lunch break. Then back to Bruges.

Day 10 (B), Bruges. After breakfast we end our bike tour tour and disembark at 10:00 AM. We will transfer to our 4-star spa hotel, Hotel Duke’s Palace, in the middle of this lovely city to pamper ourselves or tour about. We will find a local eatery for a final dinner together.

Day 11/Sun 22 July (B), Depart Bruges. We say our good-byes and board trains to Brussels, Amsterdam or another location of your choosing.

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Aboard the M.S. Gandalf

Double occupancy rooms, with private shower and toilet, and full board (breakfast, packed lunch and dinner) are included. Breakfast: several kinds of bread, cheese, chocolate, jam, orange juice, milk, coffee, tea etc. Packed lunch: during breakfast you will

prepare your packed lunch of bread, cheese, fruit and drinks. Dinners are expertly prepared by

On the road support: This trip has a tour leader in addition to your two AMC leaders. There is no “SAG” wagon. The tour leader will be equipped with a basic tool kit for flat tire or simple repairs. More extensive bike repairs,

though not anticipated, will be arranged through the boat staff and may require a short wait on the side of the road. Emergency

transfers, if necessary, will be undertaken according to local emergency resource

While the itinerary in this prospectus is what the leaders have planned at the time of writing, various factors may require changes for reasons of safety, transportation or

lodging availability, and unforeseeable circumstances (such as weather considerations, road construction, natural disasters in areas to be visited, or recommendations of governmental agencies). The leaders reserve the right to make such changes as necessary, both before and during the trip.

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Bike Routes & Ride Conditions: We will ride on bike paths and low traffic roads in rural and city areas. Participants should be comfortable with the itinerary’s described day to day terrain and distances, and should be experienced on roadways and city streets with light to moderate traffic. The Netherlands is a country of bicycles, mainly due to the flat territory beneath the sea level. The cycle path network, almost all paved, is widespread. It is easy to cycle in Belgium too, above all along the flat maritime region. It will not be hard to ride on this tour, but you will need to be well enough conditioned to spend a week in the saddle! Wind and rain are frequent in this country and they might make our cycling difficult. Sometimes the bike lanes are separated from the street only by a red line, so we will need to pay attention. Your AMC leaders, with the support of our tour guide, will help you in all of this.

When you participate in this trip, you should be in proper condition for the challenges outlined in this prospectus and equipped with the appropriate gear as stated in this prospectus. You should always be aware of the risks involved and conduct yourself accordingly. You are ultimately responsible for your own safety. Prior to your acceptance as a participant in this trip, you will be asked to discuss your capabilities and experience with us. We may also request references to confirm your fitness level and suitability for participating in trip activities.

This trip is designed so that everyone may experience our adventure in The Netherlands and Belgium through shared participation in activities and tasks in an organized group environment. AMC travelers are known for their cooperative efforts. Expectations are that all participants will be considerate of others sharing this AMC Adventure Travel experience.

It may happen on any trip that a trip member is or becomes unable to participate in one or more of the planned activities. AMC Trip Leaders in their sole judgment, have the right and obligation to refuse participation in any activity to any group member for reasons of safety, whether it be of the group or of the individual. Illness, injury or lack of proper gear or fitness for a particular activity are examples of some conditions that might result in a participant’s being unable to perform one or more activity. Leaders may try to find a substitute activity for the trip member, but this may not always be possible.

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TRIP PRICE: US $2,485

THIS TRIP INCLUDES: 9 nights accommodations, 9 breakfast buffets, 6 packed lunches, and 7 on-board dinners, welcome and daily briefings, bike rental, road book, maps, route info packets, licensed on-bike multi-lingual cultural tour guide, 2 certified AMC-AT leaders, med evacuation travel insurance (only), 24x7 emergency world wide assistance.

PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE: Airfare (approximately $900-1,100), airport transfers, museums, palaces or other excursion tickets, tips, beverages with meals, lunches or meals not listed, trip cancellation, lost baggage, etc. insurance beyond that provided in trip cost. (We highly recommend trip cancellation insurance.)

APPLICATION AND DEPOSITS: To apply, you must complete and submit a Participant Application, Confidential Health Questionnaire, and Acknowledgement and Assumption of Risk and Release form, enclosing a registration deposit of $1,000. You will not be considered qualified for the trip until the leaders have determined by telephone conversation with you that you and the trip seem to be a good match. You will not actually be formally accepted, and your check will not be deposited, until the trip leaders confirm the trip has sufficient number of participants and is going as planned. A second payment of $1,000 is due July 1, 2017. The final balance of $485 is due January 1, 2018. Deposit checks from wait-listed applicants will not be cashed until we offer them a spot on the trip AND they accept. Please make payments by check payable to the “Appalachian Mountain Club” and mail to the address shown on the Participant Application.

CANCELLATION POLICY: The AMC Adventure Travel cancellation policy is based on the intent that your cancellation may not raise the cost to the other participants or to the leaders. If expenses already incurred on your behalf, and any unavoidable future expenses that will be incurred as a result of your registration and cancellation, cannot be applied to another suitable participant, they will be assessed to you and subtracted from any refund. If the leaders are able to replace you, you may be charged a reduced or zero penalty. This may not be determined until after the trip. Please refer to travel insurance info in the section above, “This Trip Includes.” No one expects to cancel or interrupt a planned trip, or to incur costs due to emergency medical expenses or lost luggage.  However, such events do occur. If you are concerned about this possibility, we recommend purchasing travel insurance. Policy information will be supplied to all participants upon acceptance into the trip.

*Flights: You may use Amsterdam as your arrival and departure airport, returning to Amsterdam by train from Bruges for your return flight. Or you may wish to arrive in Amsterdam and depart from Brussels, taking a train from Bruges to Brussels. You may have something else in mind if you are planning to extend your visit. The leaders will work with you to find the best plan to fit your

needs.

While participant airfare

is not included in the trip price, leaders may assist participants in making suitable reservations. At a minimum, participants will be told when and where they must join the group for the official start of the trip’s planned activities. Once your air tickets are purchased they are your responsibility – do not make any non-refundable travel plans until told to do so by the leaders.

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LeadersLeader Janis Stahlhut has been an AMC-AT leader since 2009. She has led and co-led hiking and biking trips to Cape Cod, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Sicily, Spain, France, Italy, Finland, Norway, South America and New Zealand. Having spent 15 years as a marketing and public policy specialist for major telecommunications firms, followed by 15 years as an exercise programming specialist, Janis now enjoys being retired, teaching exercise classes part time, writing and leading adventure travel trips. Co-leader Dick Cable has been an AMC-AT leader since 2007 and has lead or co-led hiking

and biking trips to Yosemite National Park, Mongolia, Sicily, Spain, France, Italy, Czech Republic, South America, Nepal, Africa and New Zealand. He is an education programming specialist, teaches spinning and group exercise classes, and lives part time in Salamanca, Spain. Both leaders have a strong interest in sharing the allure of adventure excursions to the most beautiful and intriguing places on earth. Both are CPR and Wilderness First Aid certified.As leaders our goals for the group are to have fun, utilize your skills, and savor a foreign culture at reasonable cost and in the company of other adventurers with similar interests. AMC Adventure Travel trips are run in a manner supportive of and consistent with the traditions, principles and mission of the Club. Trip leaders encourage participant conduct consistent with Leave No Trace environmental and conservation principles and local regulations.

Please be aware that, in accordance with AMC policy, you are subsidizing the leaders' costs. Beyond this, the leaders are not allowed to realize any profit from this excursion. The trip price also includes an AMC overhead fee to cover the administrative expenses of offering Adventure Travel excursions.

The price for this excursion is based on quotes or estimates obtained at the time the trip was submitted to the Adventure Travel Committee for approval. Any savings we achieve, as well as any cost increases we incur, will be shared by trip participants. Our cost estimates are conservative, and so a refund is considerably more likely than a price increase. All AMC Adventure Travel trips are run on a non-profit basis and refunds, if any, are issued after the trip’s financial accounting is complete.

Bicycles & EquipmentThe bicycles on board our boat are unisex touring bikes with light-weight frames and “step-through” mount, with 7 gears, hand brake & rear hub brake. The bikes are equipped with a pannier bag; lock; pump; repair kit. We do not generally recommend bringing your own bike on board. If you have a special circumstance please contact the leaders. Local guide will carry a small tool kit and tire pump. You may bring any other tools you require. ANSI approved helmets required, bring your own as rental will not be available on board. There is NO support van for this trip.

Bikes are outfitted with standard platform-style pedals. They will not accept any pedal changes.

ClothingNormal cycling clothing is suggested including lightly padded shorts and sturdy comfortable shoes. Many prefer the “loose/lined shorts” commonly found in mountain bike clothing, others like their lycra. Layered tops from short /long sleeved to light fleece or jacket. Rain gear highly recommended. Casual, comfortable clothing for non-biking days and dinner. Swimsuit for spa (or go Euro-au-naturale!).