If there’s anything better than surprising people … I don’t know what it is!

[For the uninitiated, this is probably a good place to explain what I do. My primary business – the one that pays the rent – is corporate group travel. We organize travel programs that are reward/recognition for a company’s top customers or star employees. Or, sometimes it’s arranging a conference for members of an association. At this moment, I’m in a hotel in Amsterdam – on Day 4 of a 6-day program that I’ve been planning for many months for a wonderful corporate client. They are rewarding their top clients with an incredible travel experience and have entrusted my company – for at least a dozen years – with the opportunity to surprise, delight and dazzle them. There are so many variables that go into crafting a magical trip – so many details that could go awry, but so far, so good!]

Amsterdam was not my first choice for them. But they wanted a destination that offered a non-stop flight from Philadelphia, and this was one of the options. It’ had been a lot of years since I’d been here, and I remember it as being rather seedy and unappealing. But all that has changed.

The itinerary started in Brussels – which also had a non-stop flight from Philly. After seeing the highlights of Brussels, we drive to the magical, medieval city of Bruges for two nights. It’s tied with Prague for my “Prettiest City in Europe” award.

On the first night, after checking into the spectacular Duke’s Palace Hotel, I surprised everyone with a carriage ride through town, past the beautifully-illuminated buildings. Robert, the driver on my carriage was a native of Bruges, who has been driving his carriage for 30 years. “I love every single day,” he said to me. And I believed him.

How could anyone not be charmed by this place?

The following morning we started our tour early enough to beat the hordes of day-trippers who descend on this place. We visited Michelangelo’s statue of the Madonna and Child – the only sculpture of his that is not in Italy. According to our wonderful tour guide, Wilfried, whoever had commissioned the sculpture wasn’t happy about a naked baby Jesus – and would not accept the finished product. A traveling merchant purchased the piece and brought it to his hometown of Bruges, where it’s resided in the Church of Our Lady, except for the two times it was stolen: once by the French and once by the Nazis. The film, Monuments Men, was a story about how a special detail of the Allies recovered this masterpiece which had been hidden in a salt mine in the Austrian Alps.

After that, I surprised the group with a chocolate sculpture contest. There wasn’t a naked baby Jesus in the bunch of entries – but a few quite creative entrants vying for the grand prize: chocolate beer!

Then it was lunch at a restaurant that deserves but doesn’t quite yet have (but deserves one) a Michelin star: Kok au Vin.

After two magical days in Bruges, yesterday we transferred here to Amsterdam … visiting Rotterdam and The Hague en route. There wasn’t much time to change for dinner, so I told everyone to meet in the lobby at 7pm – casually dressed – for a walk to dinner. Except there was another surprise awaiting them!

We walked a short distance from the hotel to find two vehicles waiting for us – beer bikes! These are fitted out with a dozen seats with pedals – and a sober driver who steers and stops when necessary. There’s a small electric motor to assist, but the vehicles are mostly powered by the partiers. One person is in charge of dispensing the beer from the keg, since it’s a very thirsty job!

I’ve got a few more surprises in store for this group before they go home on Sunday – but since many of them read this blog, I cannot reveal them now. I think there were a few people that expected pot brownies on their pillows last night – but that would be way too predictable. That’s the thing about surprises … once they begin, they have to build on each other and get better and better!

Stay tuned!

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