Educational Tours Iceland, Germany and the Netherlands 11 days | Summer 2018 Educational Tours Iceland, Germany and the Netherlands Included on tour Round-trip flights on major carriers; full-time Tour Director; weShare, EF’s personalized learning experience; hotels with private bathrooms; breakfast and dinner daily Sightseeing: Berlin; Feldheim; Amsterdam Entrances: Whales of Iceland Museum; Aurora Reykjavik; Svartsengi power plant; Blue Lagoon; Thingvellir National Park; Gullfoss Waterfall; Krysuvik geothermal field; Topography of Terror Museum; Checkpoint Charlie Museum; East Side Gallery; Tiergarten bike tour; Reichstag; Anne Frank's House; Amsterdam bike tour; NEMO Science Museum; Van Gogh Museum Overnight stays: Reykjavik (3) Berlin (3) Amsterdam (3) Sign up today eftours.com/enroll Your itinerary Day 1: Fly overnight to Iceland Thingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland and a site of historical and geological importance. Be sure to have your camera Board your overnight flight to Reykjavik! ready at your next stop-the breathtaking waterfall, Gullfoss, or Golden Falls. Then, watch water go up instead of down at the Geysir Day 2: Reykjavik geothermal area. Here, the Great Geysir hurls boiling water more than 200 feet into the air, a sight that's not to be missed. Arrive in Reykjavik Unable to decide if it's a small town or a big city, Reykjavik happily Day 5: Reykjavik | Berlin provides visitors with the best of both. While visiting you'll explore quaint seaside streets dotted with eclectic and colorful homes while Visit the Krysuvik geothermal field (time permitting) also taking advantage of the capital city's unforgettable culture, Take a walk along the boardwalks that crisscross the amazing shopping and cuisine. Iceland Iceland's rich natural wonders help bubbling and hissing fields in this active geothermal area. drive the region's push for renewable energy and sustainability. Fly to Berlin Walking tour of Reykjavik Arrive in historic Berlin, once again the German capital. For many Unable to decide if it's a small town or a big city, Reykjavik happily years the city was defined by the wall that separated its residents. provides visitors with the best of both. While visiting you'll explore Since the monumental events that ended Communist rule in the East, quaint seaside streets dotted with eclectic and colorful homes while Berlin has re-emerged as a treasure of arts and architecture with a also taking advantage of the capital city's unforgettable culture, vibrant heart. shopping and cuisine. Day 6: Berlin Visit the Whales of Iceland Museum Visit the largest whale exhibition in Europe (and many in the world), Guided sightseeing of Berlin where you will learn about the giants of the sea. Ride past the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (left unrestored as a reminder of the ravages of war) and down the glittery Visit the Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights Centre Kurfürstendamm, Berlin's liveliest street. Pass the Rathaus The Northern Lights are a phenomenon known across the world. Schöneberg, where 1,500,000 West Berliners flocked to hear Today you'll get a glimpse into how this incredible phenomenon has President Kennedy's famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in 1963. On been appreciated throughout history and helped to shape cultures your way to the Eastern sector, pass the Reichstag, former seat of the because of the stories and myths people have associated with the parliaments of the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. Arrive at lights. Enjoy time to explore the interactive Aurora Reykjavik this the Brandenburg Gate, once the symbol of the undeclared Cold War, afternoon! and now the symbol of a reunited Berlin. It was at this gate that the famous images of East and West Berliners dancing atop the Day 3: Reykjavik crumbling Berlin Wall were filmed and broadcast around the world. As you see where the Berlin Wall actually stood, imagine the bleak Walking tour of Black Beach watchtowers and piercing spotlights that guarded “the border” until Your Tour Director will introduce you to the stunning Black Sand November 1989. Journey down Unter den Linden, once considered Beach today. Discover the black sand beaches and watch the waves one of the world's most elegant boulevards. crash on rock formations in the water. Visit the Topography of Terror Museum Walking tour of Eldvorp Crater The Topography of Terror Museum is located on the site of the former Continue on to Eldvörp Crater Row, the result of 13th-century SS headquarters in Berlin. The outdoor exhibit in the former basement volcanic eruptions. This rugged and magnificent landscape boasts cells focuses on the regime's systemized rule of terror, and the fate of many interesting geological features. Legend has it that the heat from some of the individuals who were imprisoned and tortured in these the active volcanic features is strong enough to bake bread atop! dungeons. A general documentation outlines the Nazi's rise to power and their administrative center in Berlin Guided visit to Svartsengi Powerplant Later, get to know the inner workings of Svartsengi geothermal power Visit the Checkpoint Charlie Museum plant on a guided tour. On the site where Checkpoint Charlie once guarded the border between East and West Germany, you'll visit a museum devoted to Visit the Blue Lagoon the era of the Berlin Wall. Inspect the “escape cars” once used to Visit the Blue Lagoon, the country's most famous natural wonder. cross the border. See if you can find the secret compartment where Bathe in this mineral-rich seawater fed from a nearby geothermal escapees hid. Then view a photo exhibit that evocatively portrays the plant, which is considered by many to hold incredible healing 30-year separation of East and West Germany, reunified in 1989. properties. As you are covered in white mud and surrounded by steam, you'll appreciate the beauty and rejuvenating effects delivered Bike Tour of Tiergarten by these milky blue waters. See Berlin at a different speed during this bicycle tour excursion led by an expert local guide. The majority of your tour will take place Day 4: Reykjavik through the 630-acre Tiergaten Park. Once the hunting grounds for Friedrich I (Tiergarten literally means "animal garden"), the park was Visit the Golden Circle mostly destroyed during the Second World War. Today the park is a Today you will explore the Golden Circle. Spanning a nearly 200-mile lush garden peppered with smaller flower-gardens, canals and loop from Reykjavik into central Iceland, the Golden Circle bridges with plenty of bike routes for you to cover. Pedal your way encompasses many of the country's famous natural wonders. Your down the Stasse des 17 Juni, admiring the Victory Column and loop begins at Thingvellir National Park, which is home to Bellevue Palace. If there's time, stop in at a traditional Biergarten and try a bratwurst or some sauerkraut! Day 7: Berlin tourist area boasts the impressive Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace), once the home of the Dutch Royal Family; the National Monument; Visit the East Side Gallery and the Nieuwekerk (New Church), where members of the Dutch View the 1.3km-long section of the Berlin Wall showcasing Royal Family are officially inaugurated. See the Begijnhof, a lovely approximately 106 paintings by international artists. This memorial for 14th-century courtyard, built as a sanctuary for the Begijnhofites, a freedom is the largest open air gallery in the world. Catholic sisterhood. Walk across the lifting bridge to Waterlooplein. Marvel at the views of the Amstel River as you cross the Magere Brug Guided excursion to Feldheim (Skinny Bridge). Although “magere” means skinny in Dutch and the Journey to Feldheim, a village that is completely powered with bridge was quite thin when built, rumor says the bridge was actually renewable energy. Your local guide will introduce you to this tiny but named for the Magere sisters, living on opposite sides of the river, impressive German town as you learn about the innovative ideas and who built the bridge to make it easier to visit each other. Finally, you practices that power its remarkable efficiency. With your guide, will see Rembrandtplein, a square packed with terrace cafés, discover how Feldheim became one of the first entirely self-sufficient diamond shops, nightclubs and hotels. towns through an interactive presentation. Then, explore a few of Feldheim's renewable energy sites such as the wind farm, solar farm, Visit the Anne Frank House woodchip heating plant and batter system. Be sure to ask your guide Visit the Anne Frank House, where the young girl hid with her family for a demonstration along the way! from 1942 to 1944-and where she penned the poignant diary that has been translated into dozens of languages worldwide. (pending group Day 8: Berlin | Amsterdam reservations) Visit the Reichstag Bike tour of Amsterdam Today visit the German Bundestag. The German Bundestag is elected Enjoy Amsterdam from a different perspective today - by bike! by the German people and is the forum where differing opinions about the policies the country are formulated and discussed. The most Day 10: Amsterdam important tasks performed by the Bundestag are the legislative process and the parliamentary scrutiny of the government and its Visit the Van Gogh Museum work. Afterwards you will have an opportunity to visit the dome This museum, whose collection of over 200 Van Gogh paintings and (pending availability). 600 drawings provides a comprehensive view of the artist's works, is one of the highlights of the city. Learn more about the artist's life, his Transfer by train to Amsterdam time in England and then in a mining community in Belgium as you Travel through irrigated Dutch landscapes as you make your way to tour this impressive site.