Category Archives: Kiera R.

December 30, 2011 · 2:25 pm

Penn Men’s Basketball Faces UCLA in Anaheim, CA

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

On December 10, the Penn Men’s Basketball team made their first trip to Southern California since 2003. The last time the Quakers came to town, they played the USC Trojans at the Forum in Inglewood (and beat them quite soundly). This year, Penn was scheduled to play the UCLA Bruins. As the famous Pauley Pavilion on UCLA’s campus is undergoing renovations, the game was set for the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA (home of the Anaheim Ducks Ice Hockey).

The Honda Center in Anaheim, CA - location for Penn vs UCLA on Dec. 10th

Colleagues in Alumni Relations, Athletics and Development coordinated to plan a pre-game reception before the game and invited all alumni and current parents in the Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego areas to attend. We hoped for an enthusiastic crowd but weren’t entirely sure how many Penn fans would attend. In fact, we had an informal bet, with all of us guessing the number of attendees. Everyone thought I was a bit crazy for making the high guess of 380, but I knew that our Southern California alumni would want to come cheer for our Quakers! I underestimated the turn-out by a bit – over 400 people attended our reception before the game.

Jerome Allen, W’95, the Jordan R. Rockwell Head Coach of Men’s Basketball, stopped by early in the reception to say a few words. PennClubLA President Melissa Wu, C’98, thanked him for coming and presented him with a local treat – an In-n-Out t-shirt and gift certificate.

PennClubLA president Melissa Wu, C'98, and Coach Jerome Allen, W'95

Below are some photos from the reception. We must thank PennClubLA (www.pennclubla.com; Twitter: @PennClubLA) , Penn Club of Orange County (twitter: @PennClubOC), Penn Club of San Diego (twitter: @PennClubSD) and the Wharton Club of Southern California (www.whartonsocal.com) for their help in spreading the word about the reception and game. If you are in Southern California, I encourage you to connect with any of these Penn alumni groups!

A good time was had by all, but unfortunately the Quakers came up short on the court, falling to UCLA 77 – 73. Senior Tyler Bernardini, from nearby Carlsbad, CA, had a career high 29 points in the game, so we congratulate him on a great performance in front of a home crowd.

We hope the team comes back to visit us soon! Go Quakers!

For a re-cap of the game see: http://www.pennathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=205345011

Follow the team as they are set to play Duke on Jan. 1. Updates via twitter @PennBasketball

(As we post this, the Lady Quakers are in San Diego for the Surf N Slam classic – after defeating UNC-Greensboro yesterday, they will play host the SDSU Aztecs in the championship game at 2 pm PST. For more information see: http://www.pennathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=205353175 and follow the team @PennWomensbball)

Ed Balsamo C'96, W'96, brought his son to meet Coach Allen.

Dedicated Quaker fans Allan, C'81, and Dale, MT'81, Bell traveled from NJ for the game and caught up with Don Rosen, C'78

Penn Club of Orange County's Jeannie Quan Hogue, C'88, and her daughter were excited to see so many alumni in Anaheim.

I caught up with classmate, Mitchell Kraus, C'93, and we reminisced about when Jerome Allen and his teammates won the Ivy League Championship our senior year.Ed Balsamo, C'96, W'96, brought his son to meet Coach Allen

Me and Penn Club LA members, Gloria Lee, C'97, GCP'98, WG'07, Melissa Wu, C'98, Terry Baris, C'84, and Andy Firchau--all of us sporting our Red & Blue.

It was a beautiful California day, perfect for socializing outside.

The basketball team strategizing during a time-out.

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December 16, 2011 · 9:02 am

Remembering Travels to Egypt

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

Penn Alumni Travel visited Egypt in January 2010. Given the Penn Museum’s strong collection in Egyptian antiquities, coupled with leading researchers and professors, we wanted to include Penn professors on our program. We were lucky to have the husband-wife team of Penn Egyptologists Jennifer Houser Wegner , Ph.D., C’91, and Joe Wegner, Ph.D., G’89, and their son Alexander join us. Joe is Associate Curator, Egyptian Section, Penn Museum and Associate Professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Jen is Associate Curator, Egyptian Section, Penn Museum and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. They gave lectures during the trip and provided additional insight as we visited the ancient sites.

Our group had a wonderful time exploring the ancient antiquities of Egypt, and we were fortunate to also have a local alumna meet us in Karnak when we toured the temple there. She showed us some closed to the public areas and explained how they are trying to preserve and put the temple back together (large portions of it are just piles of rocks).

At the end of our trip, when we were back in Cairo, we met with Dr. Zahi Hawass, Ph.D., G’93, GR’87. Dr. Hawass at the time was the Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council on Antiquities.

When the revolution happened in Egypt earlier this year, our group was very concerned about our guide and her family. I remember during the trip when she was asked about politics and government she would tell us that no one really pays attention because “nothing will change.” Mubarak’s son was being groomed to take over for him and things would continue as they are. What a difference a year makes! As the news developed, we all sent her messages, worried about her and her family living in Cairo. Her first message to us sounded desperate and fearful about what was happening. Then a few weeks later when Mubarak had stepped down, her tone was much more jubilant and hopeful.

Hopefully, we will be able to return to Egypt one day and explore once again its many wonders, but this time with a democratic government.

Cairo Mosque – the group at a mosque in Cairo

Travelers in front of the tombs at Abu Simbel

At Karnak, legend has it that you walk around the scarab several times (I think 8) for good luck

The Karnak temple is only partially preserved. We were taken back to this section where everything is just in pieces. Archaeologists are trying to figure out how to put it back together.

Close to Karnak is Luxor temple – we finished our tour there at dusk.

The famous Pyramids at Giza, and also the Sphinx.

We were not allowed to take a group photo with our Penn banner in front of the pyramids, so we took individual shots.

At the end of our trip, fellow alumnus Zahi Hawass came to speak to our group and autograph one of his books.

Our group at the traditional galabia party (that’s the outfit we’re wearing) on our ship on the Nile.

The Karnak temple – this shot was taken mainly to capture the woman with a burqa walking by

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November 7, 2011 · 2:10 pm

Travel to the Dalamatian Coast

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

In July, Penn Alumni Travel is once again offering Coastal Life Along the Adriatic Sea, a cruise along the beautiful Dalmatian Coast. Beginning in Venice, the trip makes stops in Sibenik, Split, Hvar, Korcula, Pula, Rovinj, and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor Montenegro; and Boznia-Herzegovina. The featured guest speaker on the trip is Gen. Wesley Clark, (ret), NATO Supreme Allie Commander Europe, who led military operations during the Kosovo War.

The Dalmatian Coast is a beautiful coastline – with limestone buildings, palm tree-lined streets, and glistening blue water of the Adriatic.

Here are some photos from my trip there in 2008. This series is from Dubrovnik.

This photo was taken in Hvar, Croatia.

And finally,  Korcula.

You too can experience and wonder for yourself next July.

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October 7, 2011 · 4:41 pm

Penn Alumni Travel goes to the Italian Lake District

By Kiera R.

In June, Penn Alumni Travel is once again offering a trip to the Italian Lake District. Travelers will stay in Chernobbio, a short boat ride away from the town of Lake Como (known for its movie-star resident George Clooney). While we can’t guarantee bumping into Mr. Clooney in town, we can promise a wonderful stay in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

I traveled with a Penn group on this program in 2007 and was recently reminiscing about Lake Como with someone else who traveled there. We were both encouraging our dinner companion to visit.

Here’s why:

There’s water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surrounded by mountains

The setting itself is breathtaking. It’s calming, it’s peaceful, it’s relaxing, it’s beautiful.

The town of Lake Como is small and charming – lots of people are walking around the streets, visiting the market, eating at outdoor cafes.

I always enjoy spotting Fiats – this is an old model sandwiched between more modern cars.

One day there was an excursion to Milan. We visited da Vinci’s “Last Supper” which was truly amazing, and I climbed up to the roof of the Duomo to get up close views of the statues on the roof and a wonderful view of the city.

We visited beautiful homes and gardens.

Villa del Balbianello was used as a backdrop for some scenes from Star Wars Episode II and Casino Royale.

And we visited Bellagio, charming with steep streets and expensive shops.

I haven’t even mentioned the wonderful food we had – risotto is a regional specialty and my daily habit of cappuccino and gelato was hard to break!

Our group thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and I encourage you to join us there next June!

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September 9, 2011 · 6:48 pm

Travels to Vietnam

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

I am on vacation in Spain as I write this, but during my trip I am finally reading a book that was suggested for the Penn Alumni Travel trip to Vietnam last November. It provides insight into the feeling of the country as an American journalist who was in Vietnam during the war returns as a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. It brings back wonderful memories of the trip I took with a group of Penn travelers, and as we are offering this program again in February 2012, I thought I would do a quick review and mention some of the trip highlights.

Our first stop was in Hanoi and a visit to Ho Chi Minh´s mausoleum. We stood in a long line that moved at regular intervals, and then solemnly entered the building two by two, with many Vietnamese guards watching us, hushing us, as the lighting was dark. Then we slowly circled the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh.

From Hanoi, we took a full day drive (there and back) to beautiful Ha Long Bay. The scenery was gorgeous, and we all enjoyed the fresh air on the top deck of our ship and a delicious lunch of seafood.

We also visited Hue, the former royal city of Vietnam. We toured the imperial palaces, beautiful old ancient buildings. Not quite as grand or as well preserved as the Imperial City in Beijing, but with lots of greenery around, they were peaceful and beautiful in their own way. We took a boat ride on the Pearl River, right across the street from our hotel, and visited an important temple. One morning we crossed the river to walk around the local market, always a fascinating and fun part of most trips, as you see local citizens going about their business as well as the colorful and diverse fruits, vegetables and meats on display for sale.

The food in Vietnam was fresh and delicious – trying all the different courses at dinner each night was a highlight of the trip. One of my favorite dishes was the simplest – Pho – a broth with beef, chicken or pork, noodles, basil, mint, onions and as much spices as you wished. I couldn’t get enough of this simple but filling dish. Pictured here is Pho from a cafe in Saigon with cafe with milk (sweetened condensed milk). As it´s quite hot and humid in Vietnam, I preferred mine over ice.

The main form of transportation in Vietnam is the motorbike. Our guide told us all about the specific models that were the most popular, and it was fun to see everyone carting just about anything you can imagine on them – sometimes several people, groceries, and packages. The largest item I saw transported was a mattress! Even though there were motorbikes everywhere, and it seemed very disorganized and chaotic, traffic seemed to have a rhythm and moved in an orderly fashion. The big challenge for us was crossing the street. We were instructed to start out slowly and move in a straight line, not darting or changing course and the motorbikes would move around you. It took some courage, but I finally crossed the street without incident – some of the other travelers were impressed with my bravery.

We were treated to a group cooking class, and while I thought it might not appeal to everyone, it seemed that we all enjoyed chopping and cutting and making different parts of a several course meal. It was fun and there were many laughs as we judged our individual spring roll folding capabilities.

There are many more special moments and sights from the trip to share – visiting the ancient town of Hoi An and the small village surrounded by rice fields just outside it, driving by China Beach and staying in a luxurious resort just down the road, seeing the floating markets outside of Can Tho and taking a boat up the Mekong River, and the Cu Chi tunnels outside of Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon). Many in our group also took the extension program to Cambodia, the highlight being the temples of Angkor. We were fortunate that three Vietnam veterans were in our group, and it was interesting for all of us to hear about their war experiences as well as their wonder at how much the country had changed since they left.

I encourage you to consider joining our Penn Alumni Travel program back to Vietnam n February – there has been much interest in the trip since our brochure mailed, and I can personally recommend it! More details can be found here.

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August 12, 2011 · 3:08 pm

Remembering Winter in August

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

Back in the summer of 2008, as we worked on the Penn Alumni Travel catalog for 2009, I couldn’t stop thinking about the cover photo we chose. It was a wintry scene from Salzburg, Austria.

Although I have lived in California for over 10 years, I’m originally from the East Coast and miss the snow and romance of a “White Christmas.” So, as we continued working on our catalog, through many revisions and printers proofs, I kept thinking about going to Austria. And once our brochure was printed and many extra copies were in my office taunting me daily, I had to take action.

I convinced my boyfriend that we needed to visit the holiday markets in Austria that December. As a California native, the allure of shopping outside in the cold was lost on him, but he’s a good sport and finally agreed to join me.

We started in Vienna, spending a few days exploring Austria’s capital. We saw the famous Lipizzaner Horses of the Spanish Riding School (no photos of the horses during the show were allowed), visited St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and sampled Austrian pastries at Demel Café. We ate wiener schnitzel and enjoyed eating sausages stuffed in rolls at food trucks with the locals. At the last minute we purchased standing room tickets for the Vienna State Opera to see Wagner’s Götterdämmerung. Although standing is definitely not the ideal way to experience opera, I ended up staying for the entire show because the sound of the orchestra and singing was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. Of course, we also visited some of the holiday markets in town and sipped warm Glühwein as we wandered the market stalls.

Spanish Riding School

L:ipizzaner Horses

Holiday Lights in Vienna

Ornaments

Sipping Gluhwein

We next took a train to Salzburg and stayed with one of my sister’s college friends who had been living there for several years. She provided lots of insider tips for us, and took us to a traditional Austrian dinner on our last night, complete with shots of schnapps to finish our meal.

We hiked up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which towers over the city, and were treated to spectacular views. While the weather remained warm for most of our trip, it worked to our advantage as we were never too cold and spent most of our days outside. One surprising find was when we took a Sound of Music trip, and along the way passed by the headquarters for Red Bull!

Red Bull Headquarters Outside of Salzburg

Austrian Countryside

Of course, there were more holiday markets to visit in Salzburg, but I also enjoyed shopping in some of the local stores.

Thousands of Ornaments on Display

Lederhosen, Anyone?

Finally, on the last night, it snowed. And as the snow fell on the quite town at night and glistened under the twinkling lights of the markets, I was happy.

Do you want to visit Austria’s holiday markets? Penn Alumni Travel is offering a trip to the markets in Germany and Austria this December 6-13. For more information, go here.

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July 14, 2011 · 2:07 pm

The West Coast Regional Office meets Carmageddon

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

Many of you might not realize it, but Penn has a regional development and alumni relations office in Los Angeles. While the location has changed a few times, there has been a Penn presence on the west coast for well over twenty years.

Currently, there are 3 Penn staff people in the LA office, and we wave the Penn flag for the over 9,500 alumni in the greater Los Angeles area, as well as a similar number of alumni in the Bay Area. We also work with alumni, parents and friends in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.

Pictured: Penn Western Regional Office Staff: Elizabeth Fields, Kiera Reilly, C’93, and Jonathan Martinez

We have been in our current location for just a year. Last September we invited top volunteer leaders for a breakfast meeting and an update on the latest news from Penn.

We also hosted an open house and invited all alumni to stop by and see our new digs.

Most people, when they think of Los Angeles, probably think of beaches, palm trees and movie stars.

Manhattan Beach Pier with Palos Verdes and Catalina Island in the background

Beach Volleyball is a popular weekend activity at Los Angeles beaches

Summer nights are spent at concerts at the famous Hollywood Bowl

And it’s true, we do have all of that. But we do work too.

There was a huge gathering for a PENNtertainment happy hour last August

And the Penn-Wharton Beach Party is always a hit. This year, the event is August 18th  – maybe you can join us? (click here to purchase tickets: http://www.pennclubla.com/article.html?aid=1157 )

Penn-Wharton Beach Party on the beach in Santa Monica

PennClubLA’s Penn in Pictures event always draws a crowd too. Here’s a photo from the October event.

Penn in Pictures photo credit: Jay Matsueda, W’95

But, this weekend, we are worried. You see, we survived “the Rapture,” but now we have a much more serious omen looming over our beautiful city.

Probably everyone has heard horror stories about LA traffic.

And it can be pretty bad, even on a normal day. Even after rush hour. Even in the middle of the night. But, this weekend, we are facing something entirely different. It’s so ominous there’s an official name for it:

Carmageddon.

It’s even trending on Twitter (#carmageddon) and the Los Angeles Times is posting official updates via @LACarmageddon.

The 405 Freeway, one of the major north-south freeways on the west side of Los Angeles, is being shut down this weekend. Normally 550,000 cars drive on this road each day.

The 405 as it intersects the 10 Freeway, the starting point of the closure this weekend.

The 405 Freeway heading north at the Santa Monica Blvd. exit

The freeway is being widened for a carpool lane, and an overpass is being demolished over the weekend. So the stretch of the 405 between the 10 freeway and the 101 is being closed starting late Friday night through early Monday morning.

There have been signs on the freeway and local streets for months alerting us to this impending “Big Delay.”

Now that the weekend is upon us, people are preparing for the worst. Many businesses are closing. Offices are shutting and asking employees to work from home. Celebrities were asked to tweet about it to their followers. LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslovsky has some poignant advice for worried motorists:

The best alternative route is to totally avoid the 405 area, completely avoid it, don’t come anywhere near it, don’t even think about coming to it. Stay the heck out of here.

(courtesy of  http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/07/planned-405-freeway-closure-has-la-motorists-thinking-carmageddo/)

The national media is reporting the story – I’ve seen articles in the New York Times and heard a story on NPR last week. This USA Today article does a good job of explaining the impact this closure will have all over Los Angeles and beyond: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-07-12-traffic-LA-405-closing_n.htm. There’s a website that lists all the specials local businesses are offering for residents that stay local: http://www.car-mageddon.com/cmg/Home.html . JetBlue is even offering $4 fares for flights from Long Beach to Burbank to avoid the gridlock.

It’s pretty much the biggest story to about the 405 since O.J. and his white van were filmed cruising on it in 1994.

Hopefully, Los Angeles will survive this latest inconvenience. After all, we have to get ready for Penn vs. UCLA Basketball in Anaheim on Dec. 10th!

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June 20, 2011 · 1:23 pm

Alumni Photos from Around the World

By Kiera R.

Each year, the Penn Alumni Travel program offers trips that send alumni all over the world. We often send a Penn representative on our trips, and ask our colleagues to take photos of the journey. Our travelers also bring their cameras as well. It’s always fun when you return from a trip to review your own photos as well as the other moments and scenes. This year we decided to ask our travelers for their favorite photos and enter our photo contest. The question was how to decide which photos were the best? Our Penn colleagues who have hosted trips in the past were asked to vote on their favorites. The categories were culture, nature, people and places.

We received some wonderful photos, and our judges enjoyed reviewing them, although they had a hard time picking their favorites.

Here are some of the entries in culture:

Katherine Converse, CW’63, CGS’95, submitted this photo from an Egypt trip

Ron, GR’70, and Marilyn, G’68, Slivka sent in this photo of culture:

Mark Whitcher, C’93, found some culture in Antarctica

Our judges selected Sue Endy’s photo of weaving from Lima, Peru as the winner in the culture category:

In our Nature category, Kate O’Neill recorded some bad weather in Rome

And Bruce Endy, C’66, caught a napping iguana in the Galapagos

But our judges couldn’t get over the zebras in the photo from Richard Vernick, C’63

In the places category, we enjoyed this photo from Adele Greenspun, ED’60, of the Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt

Ron, GR’70, and Marilyn, G’68, Slivka sent in this photo from Morocco

But Rachel Wagman’s, C’93, photo from Tanzania took home the prize

In our people category, Sonya Fry entered this photo from the Danube River cruise last summer

Donna Glace included this group shot of Penn travelers at Peterhof Palace outside of St. Petersburg

And Penn professors Jennifer, C’91, and Joe, C’89, GR’96, Wegner sent in this photo of their son Alexander from Egypt

Peggy Weymouth won for her photo of this child in Petra, Jordan

Finally, Janelle Wiseley and I were tasked with choosing the grand prize winning photo. Our unanimous selection was this photo of Quito, Ecuador from Christine Turk.

You can see all of our prize winning photos and photo entries b y visiting our photo contest page here.

http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/travel/Photo%20contest%202011/index.html

And, we will be asking for entries again for trips this year, so if you haven’t joined us on a trip yet this year, we hope you do. There are many beautiful pictures waiting to be taken! See our remaining 2011 trip schedule at http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/travel/2011/index.html

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May 20, 2011 · 8:21 pm

Penn Alumni Travel : South Africa Trip

In March, 2009, Penn Alumni Travel traveled to South Africa with alumni from Brown University. It was a truly wonderful trip.

Cape Town’s Table Mountain

Table Mountain as seen from Robben Island

We began our journey in Cape Town, staying at the historic Mount Nelson Hotel with views of the amazing Table Mountain. We spotted the film crew for the film Invictus, but unfortunately saw no signs of director Clint Eastwood or stars Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman who were also staying there.

We went to the top of Table Mountain – what a view!

Football stadium under construction for the 2010 World Cup

Our first day took us to Robben Island – site of the prison where Nelson Mandela spent many years in captivity. The guides were former prisoners and shared with us their experiences in the prison. I can still picture the limestone quarry where the men spent most of their day, picking and hauling the blindingly white stones in the heat of the sun.

Robben Island quarry

Penn travelers exiting one of Robben Island’s buildings

We also spent some time outside of Cape Town, visiting wine country and Boulders Beach, home to South African penguins. Of course we stopped at the Cape of Good Hope, the most south-westerly point on the continent of Africa.

Franschhoek wine country was beautiful

Travelers after tasting wine and lunching at one of the local vineyards

Penguins at Boulders Beach

The group at the Cape of Good Hope

Our next stop was Zambia, where we stayed at the Livingstone Hotel, right on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River. We could sit at a bar deck along the river and see the mist from Victoria Falls, just a few hundred yards away. We walked to the falls from the hotel, sporting rain ponchos, and were amazed by the power of the water continually flowing over the falls. For many travelers, this was their favorite location. From here, some of us spent a day traveling across the border into Botswana, an experience itself, where we took a boat ride along the Chobe River where we saw bathing hippos and then visited Chobe National Park where we saw lots of elephants.

The magnificent Victoria Falls in Zambia.

The mist from Victoria Falls

The magnificent Victoria Falls in Zambia.

We next traveled to Johannesburg, where we toured the city and visited the moving Apartheid Museum. We were fortunate to have a special tour of the Court and Justice Chambers of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, thanks to Penn alumna Yvonne Mokgoro, GL’90, HON’09. While there we encountered Justice Albie Sachs, who was active in the anti-apartheid movement, losing an arm in a bomb attack. He graciously agreed to stand in our photo. Justice Mokgoro then met us at our hotel for dinner, and we all were fascinated by her life story, her experiences at Penn, and her insights into the problems South Africa faces.

Hippos taking a bath

Elephant Mommy and baby in Chobe National Park – she didn’t want us getting close

Our trip ended with several days of safari in Kruger National Park. While I was excited to go on a safari, my first ever, I don’t think I realized how much I would enjoy it. We rose early every morning, to go on rides before the sun rose to spot the wildlife before the heat of the day set in. After a few hours, we returned for breakfast. Some of us then would go on safari walks with the guides, armed with rifles, as we tread through the bush. Our hearts really started racing when a rhinoceros was sniffing around right near us – to get out of his way we were instructed to stand behind a tree as they can’t turn quickly. After a restful afternoon, we would head out again in the late afternoon. What fun we had seeing many birds, giraffes, rhinos, wildebeest, gazelles, zebras, hippos, elephants, and lions. Our photos don’t quite capture the majest and beauty of these animals, nor of the country as a whole.

We are offering this program in October (Oct. 12 – 26), again partnering with Brown Travelers. Visit our website to see more details of this wonderful program.

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April 22, 2011 · 9:00 am

Penn Alumni Explore the World

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

As the Director of Penn Alumni Travel, I have been fortunate to see much of the world, traveling with fellow Penn Alumni and friends on Penn Alumni Travel programs. While the sites we see are often iconic, sometimes, it’s the stolen moments of unexpected serendipity that stay in your memory and make each trip special.

In the summer of 2005, we were on the Historic Countries of the Baltic cruise. The itinerary included stops in Gdansk, Poland, several former Soviet republics – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Stockholm. It was a wonderful trip – a small ship with 100 passengers from various institutions around the U.S., including Penn. Everyone seemed to get along well, no matter your alma mater. I still remember climbing to the top deck late one night (with the infamous white nights of summer, dusk started around 11 p.m.) to find a few of the Penn travelers sharing Cuban cigars with alumni from LSU.

St. Petersburg

I had never been to Russia before, so arriving in St. Petersburg was fascinating. It was hot, and humid, and the city just shimmered. Since our ship was small, we were able to dock relatively close to the central part of the city. As we took a bus to tour the major sites, there were young brides and grooms everywhere, taking photos against the city’s landmarks.

Bride and Groom

Everyone seemed to smile when we saw another pair of newlyweds.

The Happy Couple

We toured the Peter and Paul Fortress, visiting the tombs of the czar and his family. We had an early morning tour of the Hermitage– the architectural details of the building itself were amazing, not to mention the vast art collection.

The Hermitage

We traveled outside the city, visting Petrodvorets, (Peterhof Palace), which lived up to its reputation as being the “Russian Versailles”, and Catherine’s palace, Tsarskoe Selo,, walking through the recently restored Amber Room (no photos allowed). En route, it was fascinating to see the Soviet architecture – such beautiful palaces and museums from long ago contrasted with the blocky modern buildings of the former USSR.

Peterhof

Catherine Palace

All these sites were amazing to see, but it was something I experienced not on the itinerary that remains lodged in my memory. The cruise director on our ship had lived in Russia for several years, and she shared tips about St. Petersburg with the passengers – where to have lunch, what to do if encountering gypsies, and suggestions for places to visit, including a Russian Orthodox church service. Intrigued, I decided to visit the church not far from where our ship docked. Christel Pailet, Director of UCLA’s travel program, decided to join me.  The cruise director informed us that orthodox services go on for hours, so she said we could stop in, stay as long as we liked and leave on our own timeline. She also recommended that we cover our heads and shoulders. We brought along a shawl and set out – about a 10 minute walk from our ship.

This is the church where Christel and I attended a service as seen from our ship

From the outside, Russian Orthodox churches are beautiful and massive. Inside, this church seemed small and intimate. It was dark, with only minimal light streaming through small windows.  There were maybe 15-20 people inside. There were no pews so everyone stood. There was chanting coming from above, from monks or priests we couldn’t see. It seemed like the chants were coming from the heavens. Every once in a while, the worshippers would bend over and touch the floor with their hands. Christel and I stood in wonder, watching, listening, not understanding anything being said or chanted but transfixed by the spirituality of the service.

Then, we noticed what we assumed to be a priest. He was standing slightly off center on the ground level. He was speaking in hushed tones with a woman who was clearly upset. Tears were streaming down her face. He seemed to be comforting her, or maybe it was a confessional, we could only guess. Then, he would stop speaking to her, say some words aloud for the service, and resume speaking with her. After about twenty minutes we left, fascinated by what we had witnessed. We wondered why this woman was so upset and what the priest was telling her for comfort. Other worshippers came and went while we stood and watched. When I saw Christel recently, she said it was one of her most memorable travel experiences. I couldn’t agree more.

This year, Penn Alumni Travel is visiting the Baltics again. I look forward to visiting these countries as I join the Penn travelers on the May 31 departure. Two famous historical figures will come aboard the ship for lectures – Lech Walesa and Mikhail Gorbachev. Plans are underway to repeat this trip next year, and as these departures sold out very quickly, you should make your reservations early!

Kiera Reilly, C’93, Director, Penn Alumni Travel, in front of St. Petersburg’s Church of the Spilled Blood

View more photos from Penn Alumni travel here.

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