Canadian War Sites Tour The Liberation of Holland May 4th to 19th, 2009 Small group tour

The Liberation of the Netherlands, from September 1944 to April 1945, played a key role in the culmination of the Second World War, as the Allied forces closed in on Germany from all sides. The First Canadian Army played a major role in the liberation of the Dutch people who had suffered terrible hunger and hardship under the increasingly desperate German occupiers. In early June 1940, Princess Juliana and her two small daughters secretly boarded a Dutch vessel bound for Halifax. Safe in the Ottawa region, Princess Juliana was able to take over the reins of government-in-exile if the need arose. The birth of Princess Margriet Francisca, the third daughter of Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard, was a symbol of hope and a source of inspiration for the Dutch people who were fighting for their survival in Europe.

The only royal baby ever born in North America, her birth created a living bond between the people of Canada and the Netherlands. To ensure the baby’s Dutch citizenship, the Canadian government temporarily ceded a room at the Ottawa Civic Hospital to the Netherlands. Princess Margriet was therefore born a Dutch citizen on Dutch soil on January 19, 1943.

Your Executive Worldwide Travel Tour Itinerary

MONDAY, 4TH MAY DAY #1 Depart Canada from Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto for the flight to Amsterdam. TUESDAY, 5TH MAY DAY #2 Arrive Amsterdam Airport. Transfer to Bruges, with enroute visit to the Canada Museum created as a private enterprise by a Belgian gentleman to thank the Canadians for their role in the liberation of Belgium, thereby saving his father from certain and imminent arrest by the Gestapo. If time permits we will also make a stop at the Canadian cemetery at Adegem. Accommodation in Bruges for 3 nights. Dinner included.

WEDNESDAY, 6TH MAY DAY #3 Breakfast at the hotel. Starting at Moerbrugge we will begin our day by viewing an interesting memorial sculpture. We’ll then move north to Moerkerke and make stops to recall the battle at t’Molentje, where the street Algonquinstaat can be found. In this area we will look at Operation Switchback including Eede, Ijzendijke and Hoofdplaat. Later we will have a tour of the Leopold Canal and the Breskens Pocket and their roles in the battles to secure this area. Dinner included.

THURSDAY, 7TH MAY DAY #4 Breakfast at the hotel. We’ll spend a half day exploring the Canadian connections in Bruges including the Canada Bridge which supports a Bison Memorial, Liberation Road where the Canadian army entered and liberated Bruges, Revill Park and Canada Square. Free time to further enjoy charming Bruges and have dinner on your own.

FRIDAY, 8TH MAY DAY #5 Breakfast at the hotel. Today we head north and across the Westerschele via a tunnel that brings us out to the east of Vlissingen. (Flushing). This day we will tour the island of Walcheren including t he town of Westkapelle, a strategic dyke area. Later we will work our way to Bergen-op-Zoom where we will spend two nights in the De Draak Hotel, a hotel which was the headquarters of the South Alberta Regiment in October ’44. Dinner included.

SATURDAY, 9TH MAY DAY #6 Today we will visit the Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery where 904 army and 64 RCAF rest, those who fought for the clearing of the Scheldt. In helping us to understand the struggle for this area and for control of the Antwerp-Turhout and Albert canals, we will visit Woensdrecht, Putte and Wijnegem. Dinner included.

	SUNDAY, 10TH MAY DAY#7 Today we drive from Bergen-op-Zoom to Groesbeek where many Canadian soldiers spent their wintertime of ’44 and ’45. Enroute we will stop for a noon meal in s’Hertogenbosch. Groesbeek was subjected to heavy bombardment at the end of WW11. We spend three nights here. Our hotel, the De Wolfsberg Hotel, was a former headquarters of the Canadian forces. Dinner on your own.
		MONDAY, 11TH MAY DAY #8 Breakfast at the hotel. Our first visit today will be to the Liberation Museum where we will see illustrated the Operation Market Garden (1944) and Operation Veritable (1945). Near Nijmegen we will visit the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery which is located high on a hill overlooking the German border. 2,338 lie here under the maple leaf inscribed headstones, 142 of them airmen. Dinner included.
	TUESDAY, 12TH MAY DAY #9 Breakfast at the hotel. Today we will concentrate on the battle for the Rhineland…Operation Veritable. We’ll stop at the spot where the Canadians would advance into the bridgehead. Dinner on your own.

		WEDNESDAY, 13TH MAY DAY #10 Today we move northward and will concentrate on the Ijssel crossings with enroute stops in Nijmegen, Arnhem (The Bridge Too Far), and Apeldoorn, where the celebration of liberation marches take place for the Allies. We will move to our hotel in Deventer for a 2-night stay. Dinner included.
	THURSDAY, 14 MAY DAY #11 Breakfast at the hotel. The Twente county will be our focus for today. This was the 4th Cdn. Theatre of operations for the first half of April ’45. We will take time to visit the Holten Canadian War cemetery. Dinner on your own.
		FRIDAY, 15TH MAY DAY #12 Today we’ll move northeast into Germany while recalling the happenings in the Friesoythe, Sogel, Kusten Canal, Leer areas. We will then head for Groningen where we will stay for 2 nights. Dinner included. SATURDAY, 16TH MAY DAY #13 Breakfast at the hotel. We’ll take a walk in the city center of Groningen where a nasty four-day street battle took place. After lunch we will drive to Delfzijl and its pocket. Dinner on your own.
	SUNDAY, 17TH MAY DAY#14 Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning we will visit Westebork KZ Museum where the Westebork Transit Camp stood during WW11. This is the camp where Anne Frank and over 100,000 others were held. After lunch we will head to our Amsterdam area hotel in Uithoorn. Dinner included.
		MONDAY, 18TH MAY DAY #15 Breakfast at the hotel. We will offer an optional tour to Delft, known for the painter Vermeer as well as Delft Blue pottery (Delftware), and Gouda, famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes and its 15th century city hall. Otherwise you may choose to visit Amsterdam on your own. Farewell dinner this evening.
	TUESDAY, 19TH MAY DAY #16 Our departure day from Amsterdam. If time permits in the morning we will visit Aalsmeer, famous as the center for floriculture. Also, the biggest flower auction in the world takes place here. Please note that the itinerary may be subject to minor changes - if it is necessary to change hotels the same standard will be maintained.
	Tour Escort and Guide Marilyn Minnes is a former high school teacher who, while teaching for DND in Germany, took many opportunities to tour Canadian memorial sites. During these visits Marilyn felt a need to play a continuing role in recognizing and remembering the sheer bravery, determination and sacrifices of her fellow Canadians, some of whom returned home, many of whom remain at rest on foreign soil. We will also have the services of an experienced military historian throughout the trip.

For more details on this tour or to request a brochure, please feel free to contact us at 613-236-5555 or email Jean Sheikh at jsheikh@executive-trvl.com. Please close this window to return to tours.