Friday, 2 October – Depart Houston for Brussels, Belgium
Saturday, 3 October – Brussels – Aachen ­Zweifall

• Arrive in Brussels to join Scott Wheeler on our luxury coach
• Henri­Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial, final resting place of almost 8,000 U.S. military who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom
• Aachen, Germany, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire under Charlemagne in the 9th century AD, where we will tour the famed cathedral which he built, have lunch in the town square at one of its many restaurants, and stroll through its cultural and shopping area
• Board our coach in the late afternoon for the scenic drive to Zweifall, Germany, location of the hotel which will be our base for three nights.

Sunday, 4 October – The Battles of the German Frontier and the Huertgen Forest

• Mass and breakfast in Zweifall
• The Stolberg Corridor, site of the battles of the Siegfried Line
• The Huertgen Forest and its battles
• Group dinner followed by a quiet evening at leisure back in Zweifall

Monday, 5 October – Cologne (Köln), Germany: Roman Culture and the Church

• Breakfast in Zweifall
• Scenic drive on our coach to Cologne, a center of Roman culture and medieval Christian faith (St. Albert the Great, patron of scientists and teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, was bishop here)
• Visit the Roman­German Museum and the Kölner Dom (cathedral), a UNESCO World Heritage Site built over a period of 6 centuries beginning in 1248
• Lunch and strolling through Cologne’s restored pedestrian shopping and sight­seeing area
• Return to Zweifall for dinner at leisure

Tuesday, 6 October – Battle of the Bulge Sites – Bastogne – Trier

• Breakfast in Zweifall; load our luggage onto the coach
• Our scenic travels will take us through Monschau, Wirtzfield, and Bastogne as we study the campaign known as the Battle of the Bulge
• A mid­day stop for lunch
• Arrive in late afternoon at our hotel in Trier, located on the Mosel River and generally accepted as Germany’s oldest city
• Group dinner

Wednesday, 7 October – The Ancient Roman and Medieval City of Trier

• After breakfast in our hotel, we will take a walking tour of Roman Trier
• Lunch in the medieval town square
• Tour medieval Trier, including the cathedral and bishop’s gardens
• Free time followed by dinner in the Rathskeller

Thursday, 8 October – Cruise the Rhine River from Bacharach to Koblenz

• After breakfast, board our coach for the scenic drive to the medieval walled town of Bacharach, located on the west bank of the Rhine River
• Wine tasting, leisurely touring and shopping, and lunch in the medieval ambience of Bacharach
• Rhine River Cruise to Koblenz: watch for vineyards and ancient aqueducts!
• After a brief visit to Koblenz, return by our coach to Trier for an evening at leisure

Friday, 9 October – The Mosel River and Traben Trarbach

• After breakfast our coach will take us to the Mosel River to board a boat cruising past German vineyards to Traben Trarbach
• Lunch in Traben Trarbach followed by wine tasting and a walk through the town
• Return to Trier in time for dinner in the Golden Helm
• Pack up for tomorrow’s departure back to Belgium

Saturday, 10 October – Trier – Leuven (Louvain), Belgium

• After breakfast enjoy the drive from Trier to Leuven, known in French as “Louvain”
• Visit some of the cultural sights in this great center of learning
• Check into our hotel for a night of rest before returning home tomorrow
• Group dinner

Sunday, 11 October – Leuven – Brussels – Home

• Breakfast, hotel check­out
• Our coach will return us to the Brussels Airport where we will check in for our flights home (those who wish to travel further may make independent arrangements)
• Arrive back home as tired but happy campers!