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Treasures of Peru (June 6-16, 2017) with Professor David Kazanjian
Penn alumni and friends joined Penn Professor David Kazanjian on a journey through Peru. The group started in the metropolis of Lima before flying to Cuzco and the Sacred Valley. After a lecture from Professor Kazanjian on the Spanish conquistadors, the group got to explore Incan civilization and the effects of Spanish rule first hand with visits to Ollantaytambo and a traditional Spanish hacienda, before visiting the crown jewel of Inca engineering: Machu Picchu. The group ended the tour in Puno and Lake Titicaca where they learned about the Uros Floating Islands and life at 13,000 feet. For more information about this trip or any Penn Alumni Travel trip, please click here.
Survey Quotes:
“We trusted Penn to fulfill our dream of visiting Machu Picchu and they delivered a trip that exceeded all our expectations while representing Penn in the best possible way, and honestly, one of the best parts was our fellow travelers who provided the nicest feeling of comradery! We’re already looking at future destinations!” – Susan Carew, Penn Spouse
“[A highlight was] not just Machu Picchu, but the overall wonderment that every day (sometimes twice or three times a day) we would see or experience so many things we had never seen or experienced before.”– Richard Leisner, L’70
Southern France (May 23 – June 4, 2016) with University Curator Lynn Marsden-Atlass
Penn alumni and friends traveled through Southern France with University Curator Lynn Marsden-Atlass, a specialist in 19th– and 20th-century French art. In addition to several formal lectures, Marsden-Atlass treated the group to personal tours through museums filled with art by Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, and Van Gogh, among others. Alumni and friends toured medieval cities, enjoyed private wine-tastings at vineyards, and saw remnants of the once-great Roman Empire. For more information about this trip or any Penn Alumni Travel trip, please click here.
Survey Quotes:
“It is a real pleasure to have been able to travel as part of a group that is interested in the arts and history and which got along so well. And it is a special treat to be accompanied by a Penn scholar.”– David Moskowitz, W’71
“This tour was an absolute pleasure… The travel arrangements were excellent: a comfortable bus and congenial driver, outstanding tour guides, lovely hotels with amazing food, and an interesting and diverse itinerary. Perfect for art buffs and lovers of good food and wine.”– Dimi Berkner, CW’64
El Camino de Santiago (June 3-15, 2016) with Professor Thomas Max Safley
Penn alumni and friends hiked the Camino de Santiago with Professor Thomas Max Safley, an expert on early modern European history. The Camino, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a 1,000 year-old pilgrimage route to the spiritual capital of Santiago de Compostela and one of Europe’s most famous walking trails. Along the way, alumni and friends enjoyed lovely scenery, medieval towns, and (of course) fine Spanish cuisine. In Burgos and Leon, the group marveled at majestic gothic cathedrals. In Silos, they experience Gregorian chant performed by the world-famous monks. At the end of the hike, the group experienced the Botafumeiro ritual, a famous incense-burning ritual in the cathedral itself. For more information about this trip or any Penn Alumni Travel trip, please click here.
Survey Quotes:
“A trip through Penn can open a new world of travel. The faculty component really made this experience all encompassing.”– Gretchen Gall
“This trip was a perfect way to experience [the Camino], with many opportunities to walk part of it combined with a historical tour across Northern Spain. The trip was very well organized with attention to every detail, good hotels, fine meals, terrific guides and a wonderful group of travel mates of all ages.”– Jane Barnsteiner, NU’70, GNU’73
The Great Journey (June 25-July 5, 2016) with Professor Rebecca Bushnell
Professor Rebecca Bushnell hosted Penn alumni and friends on a “Grand Tour” of Europe. The group enjoyed stunning scenery in Switzerland before cruising the Rhine River and visiting beautiful Alsatian Strasbourg. Along the way, Professor Bushnell introduced the group to past authors who described these scenes for an 18th-century audience. For more information about Penn Alumni Travel visit: www.alumni.upenn.edu/travel.
Across Spain and Portugal (June 14-30, 2016) with Professor Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw
Penn alumni and friends traveled across Spain and Portugal with Art History Professor Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw. After arriving in Lisbon, Portugal, alumni traveled to Oporto and enjoyed a cruise on the Douro River. Crossing into Spain, the group visited the pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela then traveled along northern Spain to points of interest including Leon and Bilbao where they visited the Guggenheim Fine Arts Museum and learned about the collection from Professor Shaw. For more information about Penn Alumni Travel visit: www.alumni.upenn.edu/travel.