“I really appreciate the opportunity that your trips give to go beneath the surface, and really understand the culture and people of the country we are in, through literature, though conversation, through taking advantage of joyful serendipity.”
Over 100 people from across Canada and at least 20 states will gather on the shady garden campus of the University of Toronto’ Victoria College. About 80% will be returnees and the remainder will be there for the first time. About half will be working and half will be retired. They will range in age from early thirties to mid-eighties. Some will stay in an economical campus residence; others will opt for a nearby hotel. Still others will commute each day from home.
Travel Pursuits offers distinctive opportunities to travel through both space and time with a small group of fellow inquirers. Explore the world with Leo Tolstoy, Georgia O’Keefe, Gustav Mahler and other masters of literature, art and music as your guides.
THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST
The power of place
September 24 – October 1 (7 nights)
Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose, and the New Mexico landscapes of Georgia O’Keeffe
ROCKING THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION
Egypt, then and now
October 21 – November 2 (12 nights)
November 4 – 16 (12 nights) -- waiting list, with optional pre-trip extension to Jordan, October 31 – 4 (4 nights) Palace Walk by Haquib Mahfouz The Yacoubian Building by Alaa al Aswany The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World (excerpts) by Nawal El Saadawi
The Space between Us by Thrity Umrigar In Spite of the Gods, the Strange Rise of Modern India by Edward Luce
selected poetry and excerpts
Leader: Nora Palmieri
FOUNDING FARMER Thomas Jefferson at Home
Charlottesville, Virginia
May 1 – 6 (5 nights)
Readings:
Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia
Jefferson’s architectural drawings
Selected letters to John Adams
Leader: Rosemary Gould
MADE IN GERMANY
Tales of Three Cities: Dresden, Weimar and Berlin
June 11 – 25 (14 nights)
Readings:
Faust, pt. 1, by Johan Wolfgang Goethe
"The Use and Abuse of History" by Frederich Nietzsche Crabwalk by Günter Grass The Wall Jumper by Peter Schneider
Galore by Michael Crummey Random Passage by Bernice Morgan
Leader: Elayne Harris
SACHERTORTE AND PAPRIKASH
Musical meanderings along the Blue Danube
Vienna, Budapest and Tokaj wine region of Hungary
September 26 - October 7, 2011 (11 nights)
Performances: world class performances tba
Leader: Rick Phillips
ART AND LIFE IN RENAISSANCE FLORENCE
And why it continues to matter
Florence, Italy
October 24 – November 1, 2011 (8 nights)
Short selections from
Dante, TheDivine Comedy (Sinclair)
Machiavelli, The Prince Leonardo da Vinci Notebooks
Kenneth Clark, Leonardo
J.H. Plumb, The Italian Renaissance
Classical Pursuits designs literary trips for affinity organizations and groups, such as university classes, alumni groups and book clubs, with a focus on small group discussion of great works of literature in the destination where the books were written or set. We have more than 25 trips that have already been carefully designed, reflecting extensive research and experience. We can either modify an existing trip or design a brand new one to suit your travellers’ preferences.
We invite you to subscribe to Convivium, our online newsletter, to find out about upcoming events and to read our regular features, including “Today in Literature” and “Classical Trivia” as well as great literature in “The Installment Plan.”
Stay in touch through our monthly literary e-letter. Find out about upcoming events and our regular features, including "Today in Literature" and "Classical Trivia" as well as great literature in "The Installment Plan."
Classical Pursuits is a cultural and educational travel company based in Toronto, Canada, specializing in small group literary travel and learning vacations. We provide adventures for the mind and travel for the soul - to places like Hemingway's Paris, Joyce's Dublin, Dante Alighieri's Italy, and Flannery O’Connor’s Savannah and the Andalusia family farm in Georgia. We offer both scheduled small group tours and private educational group travel planning for existing groups. Classical Pursuits provides learning vacations with a difference.
