Venue

The workshop will be held in Mons, Belgium, in the buildings of the Faculté Polytechnique de Mons (FPMs). The Faculty, founded as a mining school in 1836, was awarded university status in 1920. It was the first institute of technology created in Belgium and the oldest university institution in Mons.

Information on how to come to the workshop is available here.

The FPMs is a small-sized institution (around 1100 students, 200 academics and researchers) with a friendly atmosphere, situated in the heart of the city of Mons.

Mons

Forty minutes south-west of Brussels, in the heart of Europe, is the graceful city of Mons. You will discover into Mons's walls some treasures acquired for more than one thousand years. Many monuments, churches and private houses testify its long magnificent history.

Mons is the regional capital of the province of Hainaut, whose History, Culture, Folklore and Gastronomy is appreciated worldwide. The city soak the walker in the specific charm of the tortuous and steep streets. There, you will find some treasures of Architectures.

The centuries have patined the walls but the city still remains young and dynamic. The "Grand-Place", only a few steps away from the university, is especially attracting in summer. Cafes and brasseries warmly welcome strudents and tourists on their terrases.

Much more information can be found in English here and here. A virtual sightseeing tour of Mons is proposed here (in French).

Wallonia

A short drive away is Wallonia's capital, the imposing fortress town of Namur. Built at the spearhead between two great rivers, the Meuse and the Sambre, Namur's ancient citadel - one of the largest surviving in Europe - affords stunning views of the surrounding countryside. The cobbled city centre has been beautifully restored, and the population has risen to more than 100,000 people. As well as a number of superb restaurants and cafés, and shopping.

A few kilometres down the Meuse is Dinant, another majestic hillside town, built into a rocky outcrop overlooking the river valley. The citizens of Namur have always looked down on their near neighbours, and still refer to them rather snootily as "coppers" (not because of an unnaturally close relationship with the local gendarmerie, but because of the rich mines around the town). Provincial breweries, some of which are open to tourists, still concoct incredibly potent local beers in copper tanks, the perfect cool drink for a hot summer afternoon.

And many more attractions ...

Brussels

Seventy-five kilometers north of Mons, is Brussels, the capital city of Belgium and of the European Union, is the second international city in the world, as measured by the number of headquarters of international organizations. About a third of its 1 million of inhabitants are foreigners. The city is officially bilingual (all official announcements and street names are in French and in Dutch), but almost everybody understands and speaks English, and you will hear many more different languages when strolling through the city center.

With its more than 1000 years of history the city offers many fascinating sights to visit. It boasts the most beautiful historic market square and the highest concentration of restaurants in the world.

Much more information can be found in English at http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Travel/Tours/Belgium/Brussels.html.

Flanders

The Historic Cities of Flanders are now among Europe's most popular short break destinations. They share a historical and cultural heritage to which the Grand Squares, magnificent guild houses, awe-inspiring cathedrals and many other monuments bear proud witness of a wealthy and influential past. The numerous smaller squares, cobbled street, churches and beguinages let you feel days gone by with an intimacy all of their own.

There is a lot more to Flemish cities than just architecture and history. You can also while away time looking around a flea market, visiting an art gallery, or just sitting on a cafe terrace watching the world go by.

The cities take enormous pride in their architectural heritage and yet each has a unique personality. One of the advantages of Flanders is that everything is close at hand, even on a short break you can easily get to know more of Flanders than you would ever imagine.

You ought to visit cities like Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven, ...

Much more information can be found in English at http://www.visitflanders.co.uk/historic_cities.html.