Bern, Switzerland, and Delft, Holland Offer INTERHOSTEL Travelers a Splendid Look at Art, Architecture, History and Natural Beauty

This release describes two upcoming summer/fall tours offered to adults 50 years and older by the University of New Hampshire INTERHOSTEL program, founded in 1981, to provide travel and learning experiences in the U.S. and foreign destinations. The programs described in this release are to Bern, Switzerland, and Delft, Holland. In Holland, participants will visit the Floriade, which is held once every ten years.

DURHAM--Beautiful Bern, the capital of Switzerland and World Cultural Landmark of UNESCO, retains the ambiance of the 16th and 17th centuries with incredible fountains, flowers and arcaded streets. This historic city also provides an excellent site from which to explore the towering Alps, secluded valleys, and charming villages of majestic Switzerland.
   Delft, Holland, also offers tourists a fascinating look at its impressive history through its art and architecture, much of which is a tribute to its 17th-century "Golden Age," when Holland reigned as the world's most powerful nation. Holland is also known for its beautiful flowers. Of spectacular beauty, is the horticulture show, the Floriade, that takes place only once every 10 years and is held this year. Set in beautiful Floriade Park, this international exhibition presents a feast for the senses with flowers, shubs, and trees in wonderful exhibits from over 35 countries, including representatives from the Orient, Europe, the Americas, India, and Africa. It's a paradise for horticulturists and lovers of flowers and plants.
   In late summer and early fall, INTERHOSTEL Learning Vacations is offering adults 50 years and older an opportunity to immerse themselves in these two destinations with a two-week program in Bern from August 14-28 and a two-week program in Delft from September 15-29.
   Both programs will focus on the history, culture, and environment of these destinations.
   Founded in 1981 by the University of New Hampshire to provide educational travel experiences for older adults, INTERHOSTEL tours always combine sightseeing and field trips with a wide range of lectures, learning, and cultural activities. Each INTERHOSTEL program is hosted by a university or other educational institutional in the region visited, with the host providing faculty and other local experts to lead the learning activities and act as guides on the various field trips.

   The program in Bern, Switzerland, will be hosted by the FEUSI Education Center. The itinerary will include:

--lectures on Swiss history, literature, music, customs, politics, and Switzerland's beautiful alpine environment, including its flora and fauna, with a guided visit to the Swiss Alpine Museum
--a guided tour of Bern's major sites, including the Rose Garden, the intriguing medieval Clock Tower, the famous bear pits, the striking Gothic Cathedral, and the Houses of Parliament
--a train excursion to the nation's economic capital, cosmopolitan Zurich
--a drive along the scenic Bernese Oberland motorway along the lake of Thun to Grindelwald, the famous holiday village, where INTERHOSTELers can get a close look at the magnificent alpine peaks--Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau--on a cog railway trip amid these splendid mountains
--an excursion to lively Interlaken for a look at this renowned tourist center
--visits to several beautiful medieval Swiss towns: Aarberg, built around a market square; Murten, with its famous encircling wall; Erlach, an example of medieval civic planning; Le Landeron, a unique walled town founded in 1325; and La Neuveville, with its picturesque old houses and fountains; Ligerz, a lovely wine-growing village on Lake Biel; and Biel, the watch capital of Switzerland
--a tour of the Museum of Fine Arts, with the world's most extensive collection of works by Paul Klee
--an excursion to the Emmental region, famous for its cheese; a stop at the Affoltern Cheese Show Dairy, where INTERHOSTELers will learn about how this cheese is made; then enjoy an evening at a country inn in Sumiswald with typical Bernese food, and a special performance by the local yodeling choir
--an excursion to Northern Switzerland and Southern Germany, including stops at the magnificent Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfall, and Stein am Rhein, an enchanting medieval village where fanciful frescoes decorate the houses in the town square; and a ferry ride from Konstanz to the 7th-century town of Meersburg
--a first-class rail excursion through tiny farming villages and rolling hills to Lucerne
--a tour of the Parliament Building; a cruise on Lake Thun; a walk to the Castle of Spiez; and a visit to the Home and Wine Museum of Spiez, with a special wine-tasting
--a visit to the Albert Einstein Museum, and a tour the amazing internal workings of the medieval Clock Tower
--a ride through the mountain tunnels and Rhone Valley, then a cog railway ride up to the resort town of Zermatt, with its fabulous view of Switzerland's Matterhorn
--a spectacular aerial cable car to the very top of the magnificent Schilthorn, 9748 feet above sea level, with a 360-degree alpine panorama that encompasses over 200 mountain peaks, and where lunch will be served in the world's first revolving restaurant
--an excursion to the walled medieval village of Gruyeres, with its 13th-century castle and fairytale-like main street lined with Gothic houses with overhanging roofs
--a specially guided tour of the Historical Museum of Bern

   The INTERHOSTEL program in Delft, Holland, will be hosted by Stichting Educatieve Projekten. Highlights of its itinerary will include:
-- lectures on 17th-century Dutch history, including tales of William of Orange and the Dutch uprising against the Spaniards
--a visit to the Floriade horticultural show, held only once every 10 years, and showing off flowers, plants, and shrubs from over 35 countries
--visit to the Prinsenhof Museum, and a walk through the town center escorted by local residents, who will point out real-life places rendered on canvas by Dutch painter, Vermeer, and take INTERHOSTELers to Nieuwe Kerk, the burial site of all Dutch kings and queens
--an excursion to Amsterdam for a look at art, furniture and other valuable 17th-century objects on display at the famous Rijks Museum, with time to admire the paintings of Rembrandt, Hals, Vermeer and others of the Dutch school
--a visit to the Rembrandthuis, where Rembrandt lived and painted the celebrated Nightwatch
--a relaxing walk though the narrow streets of Old Amsterdam, then a boat ride on some of the city's famous canals
--tracing the footsteps of Pilgrims who left Holland for the New World centuries ago; with a lecture at the Pilgrimfather's Museum in Leiden, then field trips to actual sites related to the pilgrims' history
--a lecture on Dutch royalty and a tour of the Hague, including: Ridderzaal, the parliament building where knights of the Golden Fleece met in the 15th century; and Mauritshuis, the Royal Picture Gallery with works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens, and van Dyke
--Goude Hooft, with one of the last painted panoramas left in Europe, Panorama Mesdag
--excursion to the seaside resort town of Scheveningen, where local residents present a special showing of traditional Dutch costumes
--a talk on world famous Delftware, including its origins and how to identify the real thing, and a tour of the Lambert van Meerten Museum to see Delft cups, tiles, plates and other pottery, ending with a visit to a modern factory to find out how Delftware is produced today
--visit to Kinderdijk, a little village on the Lek River where two rows of traditional Dutch windmills flank the dikes, followed by a climb to the top of a windmill for a wide view over the polder (land reclaimed from the sea) and a cruise along the riverdike to Schoonhoven and the Alblasserwaard district, where an expert from Delft University will explain the function of windmills and water management.
--a presentation on the history and importance of reclaimed land during a visit to the Schermer and Beemster polders, created from lakes drained in the 17th century by rich Amsterdam merchants, and a look at 17th-century life at the Zuiderzee Open Air Museum featuring typical buildings of the era
--tour of the magnificent Boymans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam, with works by Rembrandt, Hals, Steen, Rubens and others
--travel to Delfshaven, the harbor from which the Pilgrim fathers departed
--a lecture at the Teyler's Museum, with 17th-century scientific examples and a presentation on how science flourished during "the Enlightenment" in Holland, attracting scholars from all over Europe
--a boat ride along the Vecht River past quaint villages and well-kept mansions built by Amsterdam's merchants, then a visit to one of these mansions, Slot Zuylen, with its beautifully decorated 17th and 18th century interior
--a stop in Amersfoort at a school for carillon players and a climb to the carillon in the tower of Our Lady Church, then an evening presentation about religion in the Dutch republic
--a visit to Amsterdam for a look at the huge Portuguese Synagogue, built in the 17th century and completely restored in the 1980s; a walking tour through the city's oldest quarter, known as the "red light district," to the Old Church, Dam Square, and the Royal Palace

   Cost of the Bern program is $3445. Cost of the Delft program is $3185. Both include round-trip airfare (Bern: New York to Zurich; Delft: Boston-Amsterdam), all meals, lodging in 3- and 4-star hotels, all activities and entrance fees, and ground transportation to the various sites. Individuals who wish to fly from other departure cities in the U.S. can purchase the land-only package and get assistance with air travel arrangements from INTERHOSTEL's designated travel agent.
   Over 100 INTERHOSTEL programs are offered all over the world, including destinations in the U.S., Canada, and abroad. Programs vary in length, but are generally one or two-weeks long. Foreign destinations include round-trip airfare, while programs in the U.S. do not so that people who wish to drive to the program destination may. Other upcoming Summer/Fall 2002 offerings include learning vacations in Begium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, China, Argentina, Mexico, Quebec, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, hawaii, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Washington state.
Two special cruises are also offered--to Central America and Alaska.
   In addition to INTERHOSTEL programs for adults 50 years and older, the University of New Hampshire also offers summer FAMILYHOSTEL programs for families with school-aged children (grandparents, parents, and children).
   For a free catalog or complete information about INTERHOSTEL or FAMILYHOSTEL, or to register for any programs, contact INTERHOSTEL by phone at 1 (800) 733-9753, on the web at www.learn.unh.edu/interhostel/, or in writing to: INTERHOSTEL, 6 Garrison Avenue, Durham, NH 03824.