Tag Archives: Penn Alumni Travel

July 13, 2012 · 6:45 pm

Hurrah, Hurrah, A-Antarctica

Author: Nicole C. Maloy, W’95

As Philadelphia finds itself at the beginning of yet another heat wave, and as much of the nation has experienced record heat this summer, I thought I’d take you on a little trip with me through time and space to someplace just a bit cooler. In February 2008, I was fortunate enough to host a Penn Alumni Travel trip to Antarctica. Coolest moment (no pun intended, but it stays): being out on our Zodiac raft when three humpback whales decided to hang out with us. I casually asked the Naturalist driving us if there was any history of whales overturning a Zodiac raft. He shrugged. I tightened my life vest. A few of my video clips of those whales are below. I will never forget this trip, and my temperature has dropped a few degrees just looking at these photos again. May they have the same effect on you.

I love that the coats they gave us match our flag! If they’d been certain other colors, I think some alumni might have braved the cold for this photo.

One of my favorite shots of the trip. This Gentoo penguin chick walked up, stopped and looked at me before moving on.

Molting Adelie penguin chick teaches me a new dance.

This penguin chick walked right up to this guy and stopped. I tried to tell him, but he was too focused on taking photos of the penguins in front of him to hear me. So I started taking photos. Then his wife, approaching with that group on the left, starts pointing down at his feet. Then he looked down…

Oh, hello.

Three humpback whales befriend our raft. The woman sitting next to me is really, really excited about it.

Humpback whales are identified by the patterns on the underside of their tails. One of the Naturalists asked for this video because she didn’t think they’d seen this one before. And here I was thinking it was cool enough just to see it dive!

The ice. I still can’t believe I saw this with my own eyes.

Bottom of the world, Ma!

Advertisement

Leave a comment

Filed under Alumni Perspective, Alumni Programming, Nicole M., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , , , ,

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

4 Comments

Filed under Alumni Perspective, Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , , , ,

November 9, 2011 · 2:43 pm

Adventures in Spain & Portugal

Author: Emily Siegel

I was recently one of the fortunate Penn Alumni Relations staff to accompany one of our Penn Alumni travel tours, Paradores & Pousadas: Historic Lodgings of Spain & Portugal.  It’s a bit daunting to think about what is blog-worthy, or for that matter, interesting to those who weren’t able to go on the trip with us.  Sure, I could post pictures and tell you about all the neat places we went, but that just won’t capture how special this trip truly was.  The dynamics of the group on this tour were just fantastic – everyone looked out for one another and took the time to get to know each and every one of their traveling companions.  The group became so tight, that by the third day of the tour it was declared that we would gather for happy hour every evening before our scheduled dinner.

When I returned home from our two-week extravaganza, I was reflecting on whether or not I’d be interested in doing this all again.  Sure, the easy answer is YES – who wouldn’t want to explore more of the world?  But truth be told, I hesitated a bit at first. The group of people on this tour made it the special tour that it was, and I’m just not sure I could ever re-create an experience as wonderful as the one we had.  But as cheesy as this may sound, I then remembered I’d be traveling with our Penn Alumni and friends, and I’m certain that it would again be its own uniquely special trip!

So, for those who want “the details” on where we went and what we saw, some pictures for you to enjoy.

We started off our trip in the vibrant city of Lisbon, Portugal.  We spent our days sight-seeing monuments, monasteries, and royal summer homes, and in the evenings we enjoyed delicious meals and even a Fado show!

After Lisbon, we were off to the small town of Monsaraz for a quick day trip.  The town only has a population of 150 – isn’t the cutest town you’ve ever seen?

Before we knew it, our time in Portugal was over and we were off to Spain.  First stop, Merida – a town with some of the most well-preserved Roman ruins.

Did I mention we had a group of alumni from Puerto Rico with us on this tour?  I didn’t?  Well, they were such a fun bunch, they deserve a pic!


One of my favorite sightseeing days in Spain was visiting Seville, where we had plenty of time to explore and soak up the architecture and culture.

While I loved Seville, Ronda was hands-down my favorite city that we visited in Spain.  We stayed at the top of a gorge, and I was lucky enough to find a friend on our tour who was just as interested in hiking and exploring as I was:


As I mentioned up above, our group was serious about their happy hours.

The final leg of our trip took us to Granada where we visited the famous Alhambra.

Before arriving at our final stop in Madrid, we popped into Toledo for an afternoon tour and we were able to catch a great shot of the city on our way out.


We ended our trip with a bang in Madrid where we spent our days exploring palaces, museums, and enjoying tapas in Plaza Mayor.

And of course, no Penn Alumni Travel trip is complete without a picture with our Penn Alumni banner:


Such a good looking group!  I would travel anywhere, anytime, with these folks again. And  if you’re interested in getting in on the fun, check out our upcoming Penn Alumni Travel Tours.

Leave a comment

Filed under Alumni Programming, Emily S., Events, Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , ,

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.

1 Comment

Filed under Alumni Perspective, Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , , , ,

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!

Leave a comment

Filed under Alumni Programming, Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , , , ,

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Alumni Perspective, Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , , , ,

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.

2 Comments

Filed under Alumni Perspective, Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , , , , ,

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

Leave a comment

Filed under Alumni Programming, Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , , , ,

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.

4 Comments

Filed under Alumni Programming, Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Penn Clubs, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , , ,

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.

1 Comment

Filed under Kiera R., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel

Tagged as , , , ,