A special companion program is being prepared that makes the International Symposium on Ballistics the place to be, even if you are not attending the Symposium! Companion registration not only gives you access to all social events, but the Do-It-Yourself one-day trips allow you to visit some major touristic highlights in Flanders while the Symposium takes place. If sufficient interest, we may even offer assistance in helping you team up with other companions. Or maybe you prefer keeping these one-day trips for an additional holiday before or after the Symposium? Companion registration anyway gives you access to:
o The Welcome Reception on Monday evening at De Halve Maan Brewery
o The social activity on Wednesday afternoon
o The symposium dinner at the Bruges City Halls on Thursday evening
For those of you who want to discover more of the beautiful region of Flanders, the Local Organizing Committee proposes several Do-It-Yourself one-day trips to neighbouring cities. These DIY trips can be done easily by yourself before, during or after the Symposium following the programs below. All DIY trips make use of public transportation and are based on Bruges being your base camp. So, start planning now!
The following DIY trips are available:
Ostend is a cosmopolitan city with a harbour, yacht-basin, airport and over 50 hotels. Visitors will be amazed by all there is to see and do. All year round, many activities take place. Some highlights are: Ostend at Anchor, Theatre by the Sea, Sparkling Mondays, Magic Lights in the Park, the Christmas Market with huge ice-skating ramp and Carnival weekend with the well-known Dead Rat Ball.
Quirky Ghent offers a fascinating cultural cocktail brimming with trendy, modern urban life. Ghent is a city where people enjoy life: a chilled-out place where anything goes and a city that feels human. Its friendly, welcoming people love the good life. Don’t miss the chance to admire the world-famous masterpiece—the Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers—during your trip.
With its mix of unique and historic architecture and bustling vibe, Kortrijk has a lot to offer. Take a scenic stroll along the beautiful River Leie that flows through the city and past the Broel Towers; it’s the perfect way to see Kortrijk’s picturesque sights. Then there’s also the Texture Museum, telling the story of the flax and linen industry, and the Kortrijk 1302 multimedia museum.
Once a medieval trading centre, Ypres is a city with a long and rich history. During the First World War, Ypres was largely reduced to rubble, but the city was rebuilt with a respect for the past. This can be experienced in many of the local museums and historic sites such as the In Flanders Fields Museum and the moving Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing where at 8pm buglers sound the Last Post under the Menin Gate, a tradition they have done every evening since 1928.