You Don’t Have to Do It Alone: The Power of Friendship
A Barge Journey with MARK NEPO on the rivers and canals in BELGIUM
May 29 – June 4, 2025
GETTING THERE
Getting to:
MS Raymonde
Getting to Ghent where the MS Raymonde barge is docked
Make arrangement to fly to Brussels, Belgium, airport code: BRU. You may arrive on May, 29, early enough to get to Brussels and make arrangements to catch a train to Ghent on the same day. Remember, if you are departing from North America, you need to leave the day before. Boarding on the barge Raymonde begins at 6 pm with dinner at 7 pm on May 29.
The best route from BRU airport to Ghent is by train, and there is a train station at the airport. The “fast” trains will get you to Ghent in around 45 minutes, other trains will take 1 hour +. You may also choose to get a taxi from the airport to the barge dock. There are different train stations in Ghent. As soon as we know where the barge will be docked, we will send you the specific train station to go to. We recommend you get train tickets in advance.
There are two main train companies that provide rail service. Click on their names to go to their website:
If you wish to arrive a day or more before the retreat or wish to extend your time in Brussels after the retreat, as you can imagine, there are many hotels in Brussels. To get you started, here are three of them.
Hotel Concorde
GETTING BACK
You will disembark from the Raymonde barge in Halle by 9 am on June 4. The train from Halle to the aiport takes about 15 minutes, or you may take a taxi. We recommend that if you decide to take the train, book the tickets in advance.
Halle is a smaller city with a population of around 40,000. If you choose to visit Halle, there are some delightful areas to explore such as: the enchanted forest, murals; Malakoff tower; Lembeek castle, and much more.
