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2009 Tours & Cruises


~ click to enlarge ~
Dolls by Martha Watkins available during the onboard mini miniatures show - Christmastime on the Seine, cruising from Paris to Rouen. 

~ December 1 - 9, 2009 ~
Cruising the Seine River from Paris to Rouen

Celebrate Pere Noel & all the magical traditions of the Holidays that we have come to cherish! Join me as we explore Paris, Rouen & Medieval Cities along the Seine* Festive Christmas & Flea Markets of France, Grand Circle Travel continues their 50-year heritage of providing travelers both memorable and affordable travel experiences! [More...]

Pre and Post cruise optional extensions: Paris (Pre) & Aix en Provence (Post)

Call Grand Circle Travels Group Reservation Dept today at 1 800 597.2452, press option #2 and give the Group Reservation Operator our Group Code: G92-0068 and our Departure Date: December 1, 2009, Christmas/Seine cruise from Paris to Rouen. Call me with any questions: 703.978.5353

 

2010 TOURS & CRUISES

~ MARCH 24-31 ~
THE ARNHEM DOLLHOUSE SHOW

Netherlands~Delft*Hindeloopen*Haarlem
Amsterdam*Bruges, Belgium
DEPOSIT DEADLINE ~ Contact Molly
[more...]

~ MAY 7-22 ~
ROMANCE of the RHINE & MOSEL CRUISE

Germany*Belgium*France*Switzerland*The Netherlands
Watch Video
[more...]

~ JULY 18-25~
ALASKAN CRUISE

Following The Seattle NAME National ~ Travel with Kindred Spirits

~ SEPTEMBER 26 - OCTOBER 5 ~
ENGLAND & BIRMINGHAM MINIATURA SHOW

~ DECEMBER ~
CHRISTMAS MARKETS ALONG THE DANUBE

First Week in December ~ Date TBA January 2010

Contact Molly Cromwell for Information ~ 703.978.5353
4701 Duncan Drive Annandale, VA 22003
mollycromwell@aol.com

January 1-April 1 (941) 371-3193 ~ 2445 Crispin Ct., Sarasota, FL 34235

 

boy on rocking horse

ALASKA CRUISE ~ JULY 18-25TH, 201O ~
DON'T MISS IT!

Here's your chance to visit Alaska with a group of kindred spirits...expect to have the time of your life! I've reserved cabins aboard the Sapphire Princess....one of that cruise line's loveliest ships! Deposits for our Group are due now and no later than November 20, 2009!

Please share this information with both your friends and club members. Our Alaska Cruise begins the final day of the NAME July 15-18, 2010 Seattle National, so that anyone attending that event will be able to join us. We set sail for Alaska, departing the Seattle dock, sailing at 4 p.m. on the 18th, returning to Seattle the morning of July 25th.

For cruise and ship details or to make a reservation in our group, call Kody at: 1 800 374-3740 Ext. 1327 during East Coast business hours. Just mention Molly Cromwell's Group when you call. Kody knows all about us....and he's willing to let us travel together, anyway!! He'll tell you about the Sapphire Princess cabin and deck locations, plus pricing - or you can just request a brochure. Better yet, decide to make your deposit while you have him on the line. Cabin availability is best right now! Deposits are due now and no later than November 20 - your deposit amount is based on your deck and cabin type selection.

Invite your spouse or best non-miniaturist traveling buddy to be part of our Alaska adventure! They can fly to Seattle and meet you at the hotel and proceed to the ship...or if you're not attending the National, I'll just plan to meet you at the ship as you arrive on July 18th. Shoot for a 2 p.m boarding time...or earlier. We set sail at 4 p.m. that afternoon.

Let me know if you're planning to join us - my number: 703.978.5353 or by e-mail, mollycromwell@aol.com. I'm taking names now in case anybody needs a cabin mate. Plus Kody is sending me your names as reservations are made. We have already sold cabins and I have only begun to mail out information! But I've added more....plus you can pick any deck or cabin you like....as long as it's available, it's yours. It's a large ship with plenty of decks to choose from. That's why I suggest that you call him today - you have lots of choices!

For ship details, Kody is the go-to-guy to speak with - he has ALL the answers. Again, his phone number is 1 800 374-3740 ext 1327 - you can hit the extension the instant the phone is answered.

TOUR HOLLAND
Hindeloopen * Arnhem * Delft * Haarlem * Amsterdam
~ THE ARNHEM DOLLHOUSE SHOW ~
Plus Bruges, Belgium ~ A World Heritage Site
March 24 ~ 31, 2010

Registration Form

Please accept my invitation to join kindred spirits in the land of windmills & wooden shoes, tulips & two-wheelers, Delftware & diamonds, home-brewed beer & Vermeer!

Day 1 Wednesday, March 24: Arrive Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam and board our luxury coach for a visit to Zaanse Schans, a reconstructed village of working windmills, antique shops and regional crafts. Free time in afternoon to visit the Rijksmuseum's famous Petronella Oortman Baby House - or rest!

Day 2 Thursday, March 25: This morning we'll drive to Hindeloopen, charming home of traditional decorative folk furniture and costumes. A visit to the Hidde Nijland Folk Art Museum's collection of historic room settings may inspire you to replicate these charming tableaux in miniature.

Day 3 Friday, March 26: We'll visit Dienke Cazemier's De Stolp Miniatures Shop in Loo/Bathmen. Wait 'til you see her tiny replicas of Dutch canal houses! Arnhem's Open Air Museum, a collection of fully furnished & decorated farm houses is the next stop…then to our hotel, our home away from home the next two nights.

Day 4 Saturday, March 27 After a leisurely breakfast watching barges drift down this section of the Rhine, we'll board our coach - and be first in line at the Arnhem Dollhouse Show at the historic old Grote Kerk. At closing, we'll return to our hotel for show and tell & a surprise artisan dinner guest!

Day 5 Sunday, March 28 It's back to the show to perhaps discover an overlooked must-have piece for our collection! A delightful miniature shop in Rijswijk - de Kleine Poppenkast will open for our late afternoon visit.

Day 6 Monday, March 29 Enjoy the morning visiting Delft's town square, watching artisans painting the traditional blue and white china they're famous for. After lunch, we'll depart for Belgium and a visit to the Dolls House Museum in De Lier. Tonight we'll be sleeping in one of the world's most beautiful cities.....Bruges.

Day 7 Tuesday, March 30 Step back in time, exploring the medieval charm of Bruges - and soon understand why its entire city center was declared a World Heritage Site in 2000. Lace, chocolate, Flemish art - and architectural jewels surround us. It's called the Venice of the North for a reason!

Day 8 Wednesday, March 31 We head north to Haarlem, home of the renowned Frans Hals Museum. Immerse yourself in the Old Masters but don't miss the Sarah Ploos Van Amstel Baby House - a treasure from the Golden Age. We'll arrive back in Amsterdam in time for our farewell dinner.

TRAVEL DAYS: TUESDAY, MARCH 23: Depart USA ~ THURSDAY, APRIL 1: Depart Netherlands

More information: mollycromwell@aol.com or (703) 978.5353

What's Included in our 2010 Tour of The Netherlands?

Private luxury coach & Driver Guide
Breakfast & Dinner each Day
Well located Hotels
Porterage for one piece of luggage
Double Rooms ~ Single Supplement Available
2 Nights Amsterdam ~ NH City Centre
2 Nights Arnhem ~ Rijnhotel
2 Nights Bruges, Belgium ~ Hotel De Medici
1 Night Delft ~ Hotel Johannes Vermeer
1 Night Hindeloopen ~ Stadtsboerderij

ADMISSIONS
Arnhem Poppenhuistad
Frans Hals Museum
Hidde Nijland Folk Art Museum
Zaanse Schans
Arnhem Open Air Museum
I look forward to traveling with you on our 2010 tour of The Netherlands.

You'll enjoy visiting the charming village of Hindeloopen, home to the folk art style of decorative painting we've seen some American miniaturists duplicate. We'll have plenty of time to explore it in depth, crossing little bridges here, poking into little alley shops, there. That's what makes our tours unique…we want to include places that tourists sometimes miss. One of our favorite stops is Delft - a city filled with history as well as painters of the lovely blue and white pottery that shares its town's name. Visit shops and watch artists at work or roam the antique shops that surround the town square. It's always filled with activity, from market day to a flea market!

We'll have time in Amsterdam to explore on our own. Perhaps a canal cruise. It provides the best view of Amsterdam's uniquely identifiable architecture. But you may prefer visiting the impressive Rijksmuseum, filled with treasures by Golden Age painters & two historic Baby Houses! Stops at two interesting miniature shops are scheduled, plus we'll visit an enchanting dollhouse museum en route to Bruges. Spend a day exploring the winding streets, shops & museums of this World Heritage Site city, one that ranks among favorite places to visit. I'm really looking forward to enjoying it with you.

One of my favorite stops is Zaanse Schans, an outdoor museum of antique shops, working windmills and native crafts. You'll be fascinated seeing how wooden shoes are actually made and what the function of a windmill really is!

The Frans Hals Museum will delight even those who didn't pay attention in art history class, the paintings there are so familiar! It's also the home of the historic Sara Ploos van Amstel Baby House - considered a pilgrimage destination for miniaturists! While the Arnhem Dollhouse Show is the centerpiece of this trip, we also understand that this country, perhaps more than any other in Europe, appreciates the mind of the adult collector. Their centuries old Baby Houses are preserved with great care in museums as monuments from the Golden Age - an enlightened time when these historic cabinets were owned by adults - women who consciously filled their shelves with precious items as tangible reflections of their merchant husband's business acumen and wealth. They treasured their collections, much as we treasure ours, regardless of their worth.

While some may consider our own doll houses or miniature collections a hobby reserved for children, we understand that these houses or room boxes and the scale accessories that we fill them with, mirror our full scale world as a three dimensional art form, that perhaps will one day serve as a representation of our place in history for generations yet unborn.

I truly hope that you and your spouse, family member or best traveling friend can share this wonderful adventure with me.

Registration Form

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