Retreat with Gangaji May 16-20, 2008
Tuition 375€
Rosarium
Europaboulevard
Amstelpark 1
1083, HZ Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
To spend five days and four nights in silence, in a beautiful, natural setting, focused solely on the most earnest questions of the heart, is a rare and precious opportunity. This retreat is held in conversational silence. Speaking occurs only during meetings with Gangaji.
Check-in and Meeting Schedule
Check in will be held from 4:00 pm-7:00 pm on Friday May 16.
Meeting Schedule:
Friday May 16: 8:00pm
May 17-19: 11:00am, 4:00pm and 8:00pm
Tuesday, May 20: 11:00am
The meetings will last 1½ to 2 hours.
Please note: It is essential that everyone be at the opening meeting. This helps to establish the continuity of the group.
Language
The retreat will be held in English.
Seating
Chairs will be provided in the meeting hall, but you are welcome to bring a cushion or backjack to sit on the floor.
Transportation
By car:
Good direction are given at the following link: Click here.
By train
Amsterdam Centraal is an international train station. From the station there are regular services with destinations in Belgium France, Germany and Switzerland. Among these trains are international trains of the CityNightLine, Thalys, and InterCity Express and more.
Please be aware that you need to purchase your ticket in advance.
By plane
Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is an important air hub within Europe and just 11 miles from the city center. Expect taxi fare from the airport to run upwards of €35 (about $45) depending on your destination. Trains cost €3.60 (about $4.60) each way for the 15-minute ride to Amsterdam Centraal Station (CS), and from there you can catch public trams or taxis to your destination; up to six trains run per hour. Connexion runs door-to-door shuttle buses to many hotels for €11 (about $14).
Getting Around
The center of Amsterdam is almost completely flat and easily walkable. That said, the chief mode of transportation among locals is the fast, cheap, trusty bicycle; designated bike paths (with reddish pavement) line most streets between vehicular traffic and sidewalks. There are rental shops all over town—figure on around €7 (about $9) per day. Make sure the rental service provides locks; bike theft is common. Whatever you do, look left, right, and every other direction before crossing the street—those bikes, trams, and cars have a way of whizzing past you out of nowhere.
Trams ply the main streets with base fares of €3/4.50 (about $4/6) one way/round-trip (valid for 90 minutes). Most terminate at Centraal Station. Complicated systems of "strip cards" are more cost-efficient, but day passes (24/48/78 hours for €6.30/10/13, about $8/13/16.50) are often the best deal for visitors. Day passes can be purchased at offices of the GVB (municipal transit authority) and VVV (Netherlands Tourism Board) as well as at many shops, newsstands, and hotels, and on board most trams. If you board a tram with a prepurchased ticket, it will need to be validated. The type of validation depends on the type of ticket; ask the driver or conductor. Locals tend to avoid the overpriced taxis (expect to pay €8, about $10.25, for even a short ride), and drivers cannot be counted on to know the way or speak English.
Accommodations
To locate accommodations on-line you can use the following link: Click here.
TOURIST INFO
VVV (Netherlands Tourist Bureau)
Tel: 31 20 551 2525
E-mail: information@holland.com
Evert v/d Beekstraat 202, Schiphol (Schiphol Airport)
Stationsplein 10 (Centraal Station)
Leidseplein 1 (corner of Leidsestraat)
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation fees for the Retreat with Gangaji are as follows:
- April 16 and earlier - 50€
- April 17 and later - 375€
Registration
The tuition fee for this event is 375€.
You may sign up for your tuition on line by clicking the Register button at the bottom. In the US you may call the office at 800.267.9205. In Europe you can register by contacting Hannelore Rueedi at hannelore.rueedi@bluewin.ch or 0041 (0) 22 757 0003.