Destinations:  Turkey, France, Belgium
Tour Dates: Sept 16- Sept 28, 2022
Flight departure: [Sept 16, Istanbul] Flight return: [Sept 28, Brussels)] 
Flight departure [your major gateway] > [Istanbul]], Flight Return [Brussels Airport (Paris departures also available)]      

-- Friday Sept 16, 2022

Depart from St. John’s Newfoundland via Toronto's Lester B Pearson Airport on your overnight flight to Istanbul. [Dinner and breakfast will be served onboard]
 

Day 1 - Saturday Sept 17

Upon arrival at Istanbul International Airport, you will meet your battlefield guide at the Arrivals Meeting Point, before continuing into Istanbul. After dropping off your bags, enjoy a short walk with our guide to get oriented with the city. Take the rest of the afternoon to rest, or head to the Hippodrome, the scene of ancient chariot races. See the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, the greatest surviving example of Byzantine Architecture. For over 1,000 years this was the largest church in the world. Tonight, we reunite for a welcome reception and dinner to get to know each other! [Overnight - Istanbul 4* (B, D)] 
 

Day 2 - Sunday Sept 18

After breakfast this morning, we depart Istanbul, and take the long and leisurely drive to the Gallipoli peninsula, taking the time for lunch and picture stops along the Marmara Sea route and a visit to the Gallipoli War Museum and an overview of the next few days. We arrive in Eceabat in the late afternoon for our hotel check-in, and dinner. [Overnight - Eceabat 3* (B, D)] 

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Day 3 - Monday Sept 19 

After breakfast, we cross the Straits by ferry and visit the Ancient City of Troy. We will gaze at 3,000-year-old landmark ruins and monuments, such as the Temple of Athena, and the trench of Schliemann. We’ll explore the death of Achilles near the Scaean Gate, and discover the site where the Trojan Horse was probably taken at the Gate of Troy VI. We then return to Gallipoli Peninsula to visit Cape Helles. While here, we will make stops at the Canakkale Martyrs Memorial and the Lancashire Landing Cemetery, before heading over to B Beach for further orientation. This evening, we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. [Overnight - Eceabat 3* (B, D)] 

Day 4 - Tuesday Sept 20 
**107th Anniversary Newfoundland Landing**
Enjoy a full day exploring the Newfoundland story in Gallipoli. We explore Suvla Bay, with stops at Kangaroo Beach, Hill 10 Cemetery, Green Hill, and the Essex Ravine. We’ll stop at the 6th and final Caribou Monument, finally erected to complete Newfoundland’s Caribou Trail. Here, close to Caribou Hill we will pause for a small, but important ceremony. We will also explore the Australian story, with stops at Little West Beach, Anzac Cove and the Azmat Cemetery. This evening, we return to our hotel for our dinner and overnight. [Overnight - Eceabat 3* (B, D)] 

Day 5 - Thursday Sept 21
This morning, we continue back to Istanbul for an afternoon tour of the city to see the sights of Istanbul on a half-day tour that takes in the city’s famous historical landmarks and cultural sites. We will see Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar. Enjoy dinner on your own this evening, at your own pace. [Overnight - Istanbul 4* (B)] 

Day 6 - Friday Sept 22

After an early breakfast this morning, we check out and say our farewells to Istanbul. Together, we fly to Paris. Upon arrival, we will be greeted by our new driver, who will whisk us through Northern France, to the City of Arras, in the heart of the Somme. Of all the battles the Royal Newfoundland Regiment fought during World War I, none was so defining and devastating as the Battle of the Somme. En-route, we’ll meet up with our friends at the Somme Museum of 1916, hidden deep in tunnels underneath Albert’s Basilica. Upon arrival in Amiens, we will check-in for our dinner & overnight. [Overnight - Amiens 4* (B, D)] 

Day 7 - Saturday Sept 23

Today, we head out for a full exploration of the area. We will see Lochnagar Crater, remnants from one of the largest non-nuclear blasts on record, as well as the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. We will also spend an extended amount of time to get to know Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland’s Memorial Park today - this is one of the best-preserved battlefield sites in the world -  and it’s home to the Newfoundlanders - this is where we will find our first Caribou along the trail in France. En route home we’ll also make stops in Pozieres, and Courcelette. Tonight, we return to Amiens - enjoy a night on your own to explore the city’s many different restaurants. [Overnight - Amiens 4* (B, L)]  

Day 8 - Sunday Sept 24

We start our day with a special trip to Vimy Ridge Memorial Park. It was here, at Hill 145, in April 1917, that Canada truly became a nation in the eyes of the world. Its troops combined and stormed Vimy Ridge after all other allied forces had failed to do so. We will explore the new tunnel expansions, trenches and memorial, as well as the interpretation centre, erected in 2017, for the 100th Anniversary. When our explorations of the battlefields are through, we continue on to the Canadian Memorial at Hill 70 to commemorate the oftentimes dubbed, “Canada’s Forgotten Battle”. This afternoon, we continue along the Caribou Trail, making stops at The Monchy-le-Preux Caribou Memorial to hear the incredible story of a handful of Royal Newfoundlanders up against overwhelming odds. We continue further, to the Caribou in Masnieres. Here, during the First Battle of Cambrai in 1917 the Newfoundlanders helped break through the heavily fortified Hindenburg Line en route to the city of Cambrai, which is where we will stop for lunch. We finish the day with a visit to Gueudecourt. Here, at the Gueudecourt Caribou Memorial, overlooking Hilt Trench is where the regiment captured German positions and held them against waves of counter-attack. It was a success not seen anywhere else on the line that day. Tonight we head back to Amiens where we will enjoy another night to explore the city’s different restaurants at our own pace. [Overnight - Amiens 4* (B)] 

Day 9 - Monday Sept 25

This morning, we will continue north, to Belgium, stopping en-route to see the Ring of Remembrance and the Albian-Saint Nazaire 15th Century Church. Both hold powerful meaning for one to ponder in the destruction. We continue on to Ypres the City of Peace. At the Battle of Ypres, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment saw some of the greatest successes, taking large areas of enemy territory with the loss of a comparably small number of troops. A few weeks later they reached Kortrijk where they helped push back the Germans and capture the strategic Lys River railway crossing. This is our last Newfoundland Caribou Memorial to complete our Trail. After arriving in Ypres and checking into our hotel we will enjoy an early group meal together in the heart of the Grote Markt. [Overnight - Ypres 4* (B, D)]  

Day 10 - Tuesday Sept 26

Today will be spent exploring the Ypres Salient from 1914-1918. Flanders Fields was the location of prolonged and intense fighting for the entirety of the war. We first visit Essex Farm Cemetery, the exact site where Canadian John MacCrae wrote his now-famous poem “In Flanders Fields.” Our next stop will be at the Hill 62 battlefield site and monument. We continue to the German Cemetery of Langemark. Here, we’ll discuss the differences between Commonwealth and German Cemeteries. We’ll pay our respects at the Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery - the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in the world with close to 12,000 burials. The next stop is the Crest Farm Memorial on the Battlefield of Passchendaele, the most horrific battle of WW1. Our day will also include a stop at the village of St. Julien. In late April of 1915, Canada's newly arrived Division experienced some of the worst in warfare; the first Chlorine gas attacks. We head back early to Ypres this afternoon to visit the In Flanders Fields Museum, before enjoying the rest of the day to explore Ypres at your own pace. Choose from a wide range of delicious local Belgian cuisine tonight on your own in the famous Grote Markt of Ypres. [Overnight - Ypres 4* (B)]  

Day 11 - Wednesday Sept 27

After breakfast this morning, we finish our tour with a trip to Poperinge for a picnic lunch and an extended visit at the Talbot House. 106 years ago, this is where Allied soldiers went to find vital respite. Beforehand, we’ll have time to visit the former field hospital along the Ypres Salient, Lijssenthoek. See the Centre, Memorial & Cemetery. This afternoon, we head back to Ypres to enjoy the rest of the day to explore Ypres on our own. Tonight, we reunite for an early farewell dinner. At 8:00 PM tonight we will attend one of the most moving ceremonies in the world, The Last Post Ceremony. Performed every day without exception, it can only be described as an incredibly moving and solemn tribute to those lost in Belgium in the Great War.  [Overnight - Ypres 4* (B, L, D)]

Day 12 - Thursday Sept 28 

After breakfast this morning, we will transfer to Brussels International Airport (or take our optional transfer to Charles du Gaulle Paris International Airport) for our flights back to Canada. (Meals on Board) 

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TOUR END