• A Visit to The Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia
• Participate in the famous Anzac Day Ceremony
• See Virgin Mary's last home
• Visit the Cotton Castle of Izmir

This will be followed by two days of hosting with one of the Friendship Force clubs of Turkey before continuing on with your hosts to Çanakkale, Gallipoli for the dawn Anzac Day ceremony. On Anzac Day, the 25th of April, across the length and breadth of Australia and New Zealand as well as in Turkey, people turn out to salute, honor and pay their respects to the fallen and to the surviving servicemen who willingly offered their lives to the service of their country. You will spend two days exploring the area with your hosts before departing on a six day tour including more wonderful places like Ayvalk, Bergama, Izmir, a visit to Ephesus and the Temple of Diana, the Old City of Ephesus, the Temple of Hadrian and Serapis, Library of Celcius, the Last Abode of the Virgin Mary and lunch in Selcuk. After your time in the Izmir area you will visit Pamukkale, called the ‘cotton castle’ and then you will fly back to Istanbul in order to return home.

• Five days in Paris: Champs-Elysées, Eiffel Tower, Versailles, French cuisine
• Seven days in Belgium
• Grand Place of Brussels
• Famous chocolates, Belgian waffles and beers

We leave Paris and head to Luxembourg for lunch and a brief sight-seeing stop before our final destination in Flanders, Belgium.

In Flanders, we will live like locals for a week as the guests of the Friendship Force of Flanders, who delight in showing off this very charming and most hospitable region of Belgium.

The Friendship Force of Flanders is located in the city of Zottegem in the Flemish region of Belgium, approximately 50 km from Brussels, the Belgian capital.

Belgium is known for the famous Flemish cities of Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp and, of course, Brussels. This is a marvellous opportunity to be exposed to Belgian culture. Our new friends, our hosts, will introduce us to their beautiful region as we visit Oudenaarde, Leper, and Leuven. Upon seeing the castles, museums and archaeological sites of this region, it is easy to understand why the Belgians are so proud of their history and culture. And yes, we will also taste their famous Belgian chocolates, waffles and beers.

• Hike the picturesque areas of the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales, The Vale of York and The Lake District
• Visit Durham Cathedral, a World Heritage Site
• See the birthplace of the famous explorer, Captain James Cook
• Dance at a Céilidh - a traditional Gaelic social dance event!

Description:The Friendship Force of Cleveland County, UK invites us spend a week in their homes while exploring the beautiful countryside, culture and history of Northeast England.

Many of Cleveland County charms are well kept secrets – and this exchange will take you deeper into the heart of the area then you can imagine. The club lies in close proximity to some of the most incredible landscapes in Britain: the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales, The Vale of York and The Lake District.

We will take a journey through time visiting the historical sites of the area, where every invader of Britain has left their mark. Starting at megalithic monuments far older than Stonehenge, we will have the opportunity to see the World Heritage Site of Durham Cathedral and castle as well as various castles and ruined abbeys. Cleveland County has a beautiful coastline with many beautiful villages and the old fishing port of Whitby

We will take two coach tours around Cleveland County, while getting to know local customs and culture with friendly local hosts!

An optional tour of Scotland will be added on to this exchange. Please contact Grant Stradley (see above) for more details.

• Walking tours of Leewarden's beautiful parks and museums
• Explore the museums of Amsterdam
• Optional side trip to Munich for the Passion Play

Description:Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands with 643,000 inhabitants; its capital is Leeuwarden with 91,817 inhabitants, in the center of the province. The province is famous for its speed skaters, with mass participation in cross-country ice skating when weather conditions permit. The local club is around the city of Leeuwarden where we will spend seven days learning about the history and nature of this beautiful area.

Optional touring after the homestay includes a few days in Amsterdam doing a day tour of the surrounding area and a city tour on a second day followed by free days to explore museums, gardens, parks and other city sites. After that we will travel to Munich, Germany. Plans are to attend the Passion Play performed every decade in Oberammergau. We will also visit (the palace) Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich and other sights, and possibly take the train to Salzburg, Austria, for a day visit.

• Tastings of local delights like gelato, marmelades, wines
• An optional cooking class
• Six days on the beautiful Mediterranean coast

• Sample local beers and chocolates
• Visit a medieval cathedral
• Experience a truly car-free center

The town centre of Hasselt is not large but very sociable. The center is also mostly car-free and contains a number of historical buildings. Among the oldest buildings in the town centre are the St. Quentin's Cathedral (11th to 18th C.) and the "Herkenrode Abbey refuge house" (1542). The "Grote Markt" (large central market square) and the nearby streets are lined with pubs, restaurants and taverns.
The province of Limburg offers a great variety of activities and many places of interest our visitors. Unique to the province are: a beautiful open-air museum which reflects the way of living in Belgium in the past two centuries. Limburg has a famous Gin museum, and a lovely Japanese garden. It has a very rich Roman and medieval history.

• Brasov’s beautiful Saint Nicholas church
• Peles Castle – a masterpiece of German Renaissance architecture
• Photo opportunities in the Carpathian mountains

• An island known for its outstanding natural beauty and 500 miles of footpaths
• 30 miles of heritage coastline and 13 award-winning beaches
• Some of the most picturesque villages in the country
  Pubs!

Description:A visit to the Isle of Wight is a step back in time, when life moved at a slower and civilized pace. This island, off the south coast of England, measures only 23 miles by 13 miles. It offers spectacular hills, towering cliffs, river valleys, marshes, rich farmland, a variety of woodlands, prehistoric burial mounds, ancient churches, charming villages, a wealth of inns and pubs and the most spectacular beaches in the south of England. Small wonder then, that the Island is one of the best walking venues in the world.

This exchange offers 7 – 8 miles of walking per day ((those not wishing to walk these distances will be offered a shorter option of about 2-3 miles) on different parts of the island, incorporating picnics, stops for pub lunches (additional cost), photography opportunities and plenty of time to relax and take in the incredible scenery. At the end of the day we will return home to our Isle of Wight hosts.

One flexible day is scheduled during the week so participants can explore on their own.

FITNESS REQUIREMENT: Participants must be able to walk at least two to three miles, climb over stiles, walk up hills, carry their own rucksacks, food and drink. Couples and travelling partners should both participate fully in the program which is designed for ramblers (hikers) only; there are no alternative activities or hosting available.

• Explore the Schwerin Palace surounded by beautiful nature and a lake
• Watch the Open Air Opera “La Forza Del Destino” by Giuseppe Verdi
• Meet and become friends with Ambassadors from all over the world during this special Festival

Description: A welcome barbeque opens the festival and its first day full of exciting adventures. In the evening visit the Grand Open Air Opera Festival and enjoy a performance of “La Forza Del Destino” by Giuseppe Verdi. The next day we’ll travel back back in history during a tour of the Schwerin Palace - built from 1845 - 1857 in the neo-renaissance style! You will be greeted in the banquet hall by a member of Parliament and then have a chance to explore the magnificent gardens. After lunch explore another beautiful garden area, site of a former garden exhibition and then have the evening to yourself. The local Friendship Force members will help you customize the perfect sightseeing or shopping experience according to your interests. On the third day the Friendship Force of Lübeck/Schwerin has prepared some activities to choose from that will be sure to appeal to everybody’s interests and tastes. You can either visit the Hanseatic City of Lübeck or the Hanseatic City of Wismar and explore their old towns and shopping opportunities. Or you can visit Bad Doberan and enjoy a tour by nostalgic steam train to the Spa of Kühlungsborn at the Baltic Sea. Bring your bathing suit if you wish!

Register fast, the deadline for applications is April 30th!

• Play in the English Riviera:Torbay
• See the wild Dartmoor ponies
• Go back in time at the Mayflower Steps where the Pilgrim Fathers left for America.
• Optional: Cruise back to the US!

In addition, the coast to the east of Exmouth has been designated a World Heritage site and is now known as The Jurassic Coast because of the many fossils which have been discovered there.

Other highlights of our week include visiting Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes as well as a cruise up the beautiful river Dart and an open-top bus trip back to our starting point.  We will have a free day with our hosts and pick a local sight of our choice.
Maybe you would like to visit the Dartmoor National Park, a vast area of wild moorland over 500 meters high in places, offering spectacular views? You might even get to see one of Dartmoor’s famous wild ponies!

A trip to Plymouth is also in the planning. This city is very modern after having sustained severe damage in WW2 but still has many historic sites including the Mayflower steps where the Pilgrims left for America. You may join us on a cruise over the Atlantic following the exchange. We will leave from Southampton, UK on September 3rd, arriving in New York City on September 17th, with stops in Falmouth (for Cornwall), Dublin, Belfast, Reykjavik, Qaqortoq (Greenland) and St. John (Newfoundland).

More information on the cruise can be found at PrincessCruises.

• Located at the foot of the Mecsek hills
• A culturally diverse center: Roman, Turkish and medieval monuments
• The 100 year old National Theatre
• The place where several 20th century artists have been immortalized; more than 30 museums and art galleries

The Friendship Force of Pecs welcomes you to a week of home hosting that will be filled with very interesting programs, as you experience first hand, the reason why Pecs is nominated as one of the 2010 European Capital of Culture. A few highlights on the exchange include: sightseeing in Pécs, visit to the Zsolnay china factory, several museums (fine arts, glove museum, pipe museum, stove museum, etc.), a boat trip in a natural park, and the famous spas.