There will be no oral or poster sessions on Wednesday August 29th.
Two excursion options are available to symposium participants on a first come first serve basis. The symposium organizers will be happy to assist those who may be interested in visiting local museums or other attractions in Ghent or Flanders at their own leisure.
Participants will be able to register for the mid week excursion activities via the symposium registration form.
1. Flanders Fields
The cemeteries, monuments and musea of the Western Front of the Great War (1914-1918), situated around the town of Ypres, probably belong to the world’s most moving reminders of the futile loss of life in modern wars. For almost five years, mainly German, British, Belgian, French and Australian troops were entrenched in the area, and fought countless battles, such as the 100-day battle of Passchendaele during which hundreds of thousands of mainly British and German soldiers died.
The visit will start with a guided tour in the renewed ‘In Flanders Fields’ museum in Ypres. The permanent exhibitions in this is award-winning museum mainly describe daily life of soldiers and citizens in the area around Ypres during the Great War. Lunch will be taken in the restaurant of the Abbey of Westvleteren, where you will get the opportunity to taste the local Trappist beers, such as the Westvleteren 12, which in 2012 was elected best beer in the world on RateBeer.com. The Westvleteren Trappist is not available in the commercial circuit but only in the abbey, so this is a unique opportunity!
In the afternoon, we will visit some of the most impressive sites of the battlefields around Ypres including the German war cemetery at Vladslo, the British Tyne Cot Cemetery and the Yorkshire Trench near Boezinge.
The estimated cost of this excursion will be 60 euro including transportation, tour guides, entrances and lunch.
2. Ghent City guided walking tour
This afternoon visit of Ghent will start with a 1h guided tour of the brand new and excellent Ghent City Museum. From there you will take a boat to the city centre, where you will get a 2h guided tour of the most important and interesting sites.
The estimated cost of this excursion will be about 10 euro (tour guide).
