Euro2016
A
Writing Retreat Adventure
November
1 – 12, 2016
Euro2016
is a twelve day land-sea adventure
where your writing will be enthused and encouraged for years to come
by the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of Italy and
Greece. Give yourself the gift of writing time to try new ideas, take
chances and succeed higher in your artistic endeavours while enjoying
a tax deductible holiday.
Your
retreat adventure starts with three nights in the heart of the
renaissance Italy, the grand city of Florence where you'll see great
art from the ages including Michelangelo's David and countless
masterpieces in the Uffuzi Gallery, walk the same streets of Dante
and the Medicis , and visit the famed Duomo and Baptistry. Or take
the opportunity to relive Dan Brown's Inferno as you walk the Ponte
Vecchio. On day 4, you'll take the train to Venice for one night
before you board Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas for seven
nights where you will be pampered with excellent food and
entertainment while visiting the ports of call Kotor, Corfu, Athens,
Crete and Argostoli. Euro2016 ends
with the return to Venice, the famed city of gondoliers, San Marco's
Square, Murano glass, and Vivaldi.
While
writing plays an important role in your retreat experience, all is
balanced with adventure and sight-seeing that makes this retreat
special. In fact, filling your artistic well with memories to fuel
your writing is as important than any workshop over the twelve day
holiday and that is our major goal for your time on land. While there
is over twenty hours of workshop instruction on land and sea, it's
all optional. It's your retreat. You decide how you want to utilize
your time whether that be seeking one on one encounters with our
instructors, attending a workshop or creating a poem as we leave port
as the sun sets for another day. Our workshop schedule recognizes the
wealth of ship-board activities and sight-seeing opportunities while
on land. On the one solo day at sea, retreaters can expect a full day
of workshops and writing activities.
Your
retreat fee includes all workshops, retreat materials, a welcome wine
and cheese in Florence, train fare from Florence to Venice, a dinner
at a specialty restaurant aboard Vision of the Seas on the final
night hosted by David Blinkhorn, the director of Fraser Valley
Writers' School where you'll relive your holiday memories and
experiences as you celebrate your time with your new friends and
fellow travellers. David will recreate his Senses Lab, regarded as
one of the highlights of Euro2014 and
a real bonding experience by it's participants,
at one of the Greek ports.
This
year's workshops will focus on the craft of writing and, in
particular, the genres of historical fiction and thrillers.
Another
highlight of the retreat is the excursions organized by our
knowledgeable staff. We are able to provide our expertise of the port
of call to arrange sight-seeing packages at far less than you'd get
them from the cruise ship. Whether you take advantage of our planned
excursions in Florence, Venice, Athens or Crete or chose to go a
different route, you'll have access to people with experience in all
our stops so you can get an idea how to best tackle your sight-seeing
day.
Europe
in November? What about the weather? David has taken himself and
other travellers many times in Novembers past. While there can be no
guarantee with the weather, to date there has only been 3 days of
short-lived rain in over fifty cumulative travel days in Novembers
since David began these adventures in November, 2011. Weather is like
an early April day in Vancouver.
What
will this cost? For an inside room on the cruise ship, it's $1580 and
for an outside room, it will cost $1960. All cruise prices are based
on double occupancy so if you are travelling alone, your cost will
increase unless we can match you up with a travelling companion
(first come, first serve for those wanting to share a room). Want to
travel with a non-writer spouse, partner or friend? The costs are
adjusted to $1380 for an inside room and $1760 for an outside cabin.
Non-writers will participate with us at all dinners of their choosing
and the Senses Lab.
What's
not included? Ship-board gratuities which are $12.95 (US) per day per
person.
If
you are interested in attending this event, contact David Blinkhorn
of Fraser Valley Writers' School (fvwschool@gmail.com)
for information about the deposit, payment schedule, and additional
costs and content of our daily tours and shore excursions.
All
prices are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Program and
prices subject to change.
