Tag Archives: Turkey

May 7, 2014 · 8:45 am

Penn Museum Lecture Series

Author: Emilie C. K. LaRosa

One of my favorite things about working for Penn is the access to world-renowned scholars. At Penn Alumni Travel, we find that that is also one of our travelers’ favorite things about touring with us: access to a Penn faculty host during the trip. With over 4,400 standing and associated faculty at the school, it’s difficult to narrow down our list of travel host prospects. Luckily, there are many ways to hear from and learn about a Professor’s work and research. The Penn Museum’s annual lecture series in one such way.

Every year, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology holds a thematic lecture series that takes place every first Wednesday of the month during the academic year. This isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about this lecture series (see my February 2013 post) and, over a year later, I’m still a fan. This year’s theme is “Great Voyages: Travels, Triumphs, and Tragedies.” (Last year’s theme was “Great Battles: Moments in Time that Changed History. I’m excited to find out what next year’s theme will be!)

header_greatvoyages

The lectures take place in beautiful Harrison Auditorium and span such topics as Ferdinand Magellan, the detours of Ibn Battuta, and Gilgamesh. They are an excellent opportunity to learn about something new and hear from some of our best Penn professors in the fields of archaeology, history, and classical studies.

At a Penn Museum lecture earlier this winter.

At a Penn Museum lecture earlier this winter.

There are two lectures left this year: “Searching for the Golden Fleece with Jason and the Argonauts” with Professor C. Brian Rose and “Darwin’s Beagle Voyage” with Professor Michael Weisberg. Both professors are also hosting Penn Alumni Travel trips this fall. Professor Rose is traveling with our group to Turkey and Professor Weisberg with our group to the Galapagos.

If you have some free time tonight or on June 4th, consider spending it at the Penn Museum. I think you’ll find it was worth the effort to come to campus and return home a little later than usual. And, at $5/person, these talks are a great deal.  Click here to register for either Penn Museum lecture.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Alumnni Education, Emilie, Penn Alumni Travel, Penn Museum, Travel

Tagged as , , , ,

April 8, 2014 · 8:45 am

Penn Alumni Travel: Travel Webinars

Author: Emilie C. K. LaRosa

Today, Penn Alumni Travel is hosting a free travel webinar on the British archipelago and Viking culture with Professor David Wallace of Penn’s English department The webinar begins at 12 p.m. EDT, and there’s still time to register- just click here.

Professor Wallace will be discussing some of the highlights of Viking exploration as well as the legacy of Viking culture in today’s society.

An example of Viking navigation.

An example of Viking navigation.

Our education and travel webinars are fantastic forums for interesting mini-lectures, lively discussion, and the chance to get your questions answered about the topic at hand. We encourage all our participants to come ready to engage with our Penn professor and other travel experts who join us on these hour-long webinars.

We have two additional travel webinars coming up this spring and summer: The Great Journey Through Europe with Professor Andre Dombrowski (May 15 at 12 p.m. EDT) and Turkey with Professor C. Brian Rose (August 27 at 12 p.m. EDT). Both webinars will explore the history and culture of the specified region and will follow with travel tips and an opportunity for Q & A. You can register for all these free webinars here.

The excavation at Troy. Professor Rose spent time digging at this location.

The excavation at Troy. Professor Rose spent time digging at this location.

If you’re itching for more than just an online travel discussion, perhaps you’re ready to join a Penn Alumni Travel trip where you can visit these sites in person while having access to a Penn faculty host’s expertise. Click here to view all our 2014 tours. And check out our site tomorrow when we reveal our 2015 schedule!

2 Comments

Filed under Emilie, Penn Alumni Travel, Travel

Tagged as , , , , ,

November 7, 2012 · 9:30 am

Penn Alumni Travel: Greece and Turkey

Author: Emilie Kretschmar

Blue was the theme on my latest tour with Penn Alumni Travel: Island Life in Ancient Greece and Turkey. Have you ever sailed the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas? If so, this will sound familiar to you- endless blue water rising to meet an equally infinite blue sky, blue waves lapping against fishing boats painted a bright azure, and blue doors and rooftops dotting the island landscape.

Blue, blue, and more blue. A view from the Island of Santorini.

Blue is the color du jour in the Greek Islands and our Penn Alumni fit right in with their new Penn gear: (dark) blue hats from Penn Alumni Travel. We set sail from Athens on a beautiful 200-passenger French ship complete with its own French pastry chef. Our first stop was Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, followed by the island of Mykonos with its iconic windmills.

Penn alumni enjoy our tour of the ancient ruins at Delos, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Santorini was a highlight for many of the boat’s passengers. Santorini’s fantastic landscape was formed after a volcanic eruption destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island, and created the current geological caldera. Five islands of varying sizes now encircle a calm lagoon. The postcard views of whitewashed buildings hugging a steep cliff that many of us know and love are just as spectacular in person.

The town of Oia on the Island of Santorini.

Rhodes and Patmos were the next islands on our agenda. Patmos was a pleasure. Large cruise ships never visit this quiet island, and so we felt like we had the place to ourselves. After a visit to the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. John, said to be the site of St. John the Apostle’s revelations, we had the afternoon to relax and explore the main village of Skala.

Peaceful Patmos

The end of the cruise brought us to the west coast of Turkey. Since my return to the States, I have come to find that many people do not realize how beautiful and modern this country is and how friendly and helpful its inhabitants are. It is one of my favorite destinations, and this visit did not disappoint. Our stops in Turkey included the ancient Greek and Roman city of Ephesus and the archaeological dig of Troy.

Ruins at Ephesus, one of the most complete Roman cities remaining in the world.

Visually, this trip was spectacular. These pictures are just a taste of the many pictures I took while in Greece and Turkey. You can visit the entire photo album here. But the trip was also intellectually satisfying. Each island supplied us with knowledgeable guides, and we were treated to special evening lectures from University professors aboard our ship. I was also lucky to spend the week with 10 amazing Penn alumni and friends. Each person brought his or her own interesting viewpoint to our dinnertime discussions, and we had fun recapping favorite sites-seen and towns-explored. I learned just as much from our alumni as I did the Greek and Turkish guides.

My mother leaves me with this message nearly every time I see her, and I think it’s a fitting message to leave my fellow passengers: be well, do good work, and keep in touch! (10 points if you can tell me where that sentence comes from!)

*If this post inspired you to book a trip with Penn Alumni Travel, visit our 2013 schedule here (we are headed back to the Greek Islands in October 2013). Follow us on Facebook by November 9th and you will be entered to win a Kindle Fire!

2 Comments

Filed under Emilie, Penn Alumni Travel, Travel

Tagged as ,