Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia
image9

Your Guide to Adventure

Your Guide to Adventure

Your Guide to AdventureYour Guide to AdventureYour Guide to Adventure

Reserve your spot today!


  • English
  • Nederlands
  • Français

Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia Finding Philadelphia

Your Guide to Adventure

Your Guide to Adventure

Your Guide to AdventureYour Guide to AdventureYour Guide to Adventure

Reserve your spot today!


  • English
  • Nederlands
  • Français

image10

About Daisy

image11

City of brotherly love

Integration after immigration

Sailing to philadelphia

Twenty years ago Daisy decided to follow the career path of her husband and together with their two sons they left the familiar Flemish soil. The “Green, green grass of home” became that of Thames Valley England. Having given up a busy entrepreneurial career in banking and insurance in the homeland, she decided to enroll  in American History studies in Oxford. That decision emerged to be a visionary one because 4 years later the family crossed an even bigger ocean, “Sailing to Philadelphia”.

image12

Sailing to philadelphia

Integration after immigration

Sailing to philadelphia

It was the icing on the academic cake because Philadelphia rocked the cradle of the American Republic and is one of the most historic cities in the country. The City of Brotherly Love founded by the Quaker and often forgotten Founding Father William Penn, was the first operating Capitol of the US, is the first and only World Heritage city in the US with Independence Hall, is home to the oldest Opera building in the US, oldest public library and of course, the iconic Liberty Bell. 

image13

Integration after immigration

Integration after immigration

Integration after immigration

The Van den Hooff-Mertens family settled close to the city in the green Penn Valley. The two kids, enrolling in the public school system, became strongly woven into the fabric of their local community,   the American way of life and inevitably, like so many of the six million people living in the Greater Philadelphia region, learned to identify with the sports teams that define their beloved city.


Streets of Philadelphia


Maak Kennis Met Daisy

image14

Sailing to Philadelphia

Twintig jaar geleden volgde Daisy het carrièrepad van haar echtgenoot en samen met hun twee zonen verlieten ze de vertrouwde Vlaamse bodem. De “Green, green grass of home” werd geruild voor dat van Thames Valley, Engeland. Bekommerd om niet in het spreekwoordelijke zwarte gat te vallen na het opgeven van een zelfstandig ondernemersbestaan als bankier en verzekeraar begon ze meteen te studeren in Oxford. Amerikaanse geschiedenis bleek een keuze met een blik op de toekomst te zijn want vier jaar later stak het gezin beroepshalve een nog grotere plas over, “Sailing to Philadelphia”.

image15

Leven, vrijheid en het streven naar geluk.

Het was meteen de kers op de studietaart, want in deze stad stond immers de wieg van de Amerikaanse Republiek. The City of Brotherly Love,  gesticht door de Quaker en soms wel vergeten “Founding Father” William Penn,  was de eerste functionerende hoofdstad van de VS, is de eerste en met haar Independence Hall de enige Werelderfgoedstad in de VS.  Verder staan hier het oudste operagebouw, de eerste openbare bibiliotheek en natuurlijk de iconische  Liberty Bell.

image16

Stad van Broeder liefde

Het gezin Van den Hooff-Mertens streek neer in de groene Penn Valley en weefde zich, met beide zonen in de plaatselijke  school, een stevige band met hun Amerikaanse buurt, vrienden en - niet te onderschatten - de sportploegen van hun stad die de greater Philadelphia region met zijn 6 miljoen inwoners definiëren. 


Reis door de Tijd


image17

Comment tout a commencé

Il y a 20 ans, Daisy suivi la carrière de son mari et, avec leurs deux fils, ils quittèrent le sol familier de la Flandre pour s’installer en Angleterre.  Craignant de s’ennuyer après une vie d’entrepreneur indépendant en tant que banquier et assureur, elle entreprit  immédiatement des études d’histoire  américaine à Oxford. Ce fût un signe précurseur, car quatre ans plus tard, la famille traversa l’océan en direction de la ville de Philadelphie.


Ce fût la cerise sur le gâteau de ses études, car la Philadelphie est le berceau historique de la République américaine. Fondée par le quaker William Penn, la "Cité de l’Amour Fraternel"  fût la première capitale des Etats-Unis. Avec son  célèbre hall d’Indépendance, elle est la seule ville américaine à faire partie du patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco. Son centre-ville est très riche historiquement : il y a la plus ancienne maison d'opéra, la première bibliothèque publique et la cloche de la liberté, la Liberty Bell, symbole de l’Indépendance pour tous les Américains.


La famille Van den Hooff-Mertens s'est installée dans la vallée verte de Penn Valley et a réussi à tisser des  liens forts avec leur quartier américain, l’école locale, leurs amis et - peut-ête encore plus important- les équipes sportives de leur ville qui définissent la grande région de Philadelphie avec ses six millions d'habitants.  


Price List



Testimonials


Join Our Mailing List


Contact Us

Questions? Bookings?

Special Requests Available

For small group tours, we can customize an itinerary to emphasize your interests. If you have a special request, send us a message, and we will be sure to get back to you soon.

Finding Philadelphia

daisymertens@findingphiladelphia.com

(610) 213-3888