February 22, 2007 - 4:00pm
Do you dream about floating down the canals in Venice or strolling through castles in Eastern Europe? Here's your chance.
Malaspina University-College is offering a European art and cultural tour April 28 – May 15, 2008. Students and members of the general public who are 18 years of age or older are invited to join the tour for pleasure, or for university credit courses. The first of several information sessions for the tour will be held at Malaspina's Nanaimo campus, Tuesday, March 6.
"It’s a fantastic trip," said tour leader Jane Cole, professor of studio art and art history at Malaspina. “May is a beautiful time of year to be in Europe. We’ll spend two to three days in major cities looking at art and architecture - from the ancient Greek and Roman periods, through the Medieval, and up to the present day."
In Paris, participants will stroll along the magical Seine, tour the Impressionist gallery and the Louvre, and admire the Mona Lisa.
“We’ll take a private coach towards Holland, dropping in on Vimy Ridge and Jan Van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece in Belgium,” said Cole. “While in Amsterdam, we’ll see Rembrandt’s and Van Gogh’s paintings and enjoy a canal cruise, and then hop on a night sleeper train for Berlin, one of Europe’s most dynamic artistic capitals, and home to a truly amazing technology museum.”
Just outside Berlin, the group will visit Potsdam, Germany’s “Little Hollywood” with its Baroque castles and palaces, then continue south by private coach to Prague in the Czech Republic. “Prague is magnificent,” added Cole. “It’s known as the “Golden City of a Hundred Spires.”
After a two-day stay, the group will enjoy a ride through Bohemia to the “fairy tale castle” of Hluboka, the UNESCO heritage city of Cesky Kumlow, and the Melk Monastery on their way to Vienna, the musical capital of Europe. Participants may fly home from Vienna or chose to take an optional three day extension to Venice, “an incredibly romantic city built on 120 islands with a myriad of canals,” said Cole. “It’s truly the jewel of the Adriatic.”
While these tours are fast paced, participants still enjoy free time to explore each location. As an instructor and tour organizer, Cole said it’s fun and rewarding to travel across Europe with an enthusiastic group of people who are interested in similar experiences. Her assistant will be Pam Foster, a recent retiree from Frances Kelsey Secondary School who is known throughout School District 79 Cowichan Valley for leading several tours around the globe. Mariden Educational Group Tours is handling the logistics of the trip.
Program cost for the European Art and Cultural Tour in spring 2008 is $4,100, plus airport taxes, per participant. The optional three-day extension to Venice is an additional $490. Fees include airfare to and from Europe, transportation by chartered bus and night sleeper train, double accommodation in centrally located three to four star hotels with private baths, all breakfasts and dinners, tips, and guided city and museum tours.
For participants taking credit courses in art history and studio art during the trip, there will be classes before departure and after returning from overseas. Students who take nine credit hours (three courses) over the summer semester may be eligible for funding through the BC Student Assistance Program. For detailed information on the itinerary and costs, see the Study Abroad website at http://www.viu.ca/studyabroad/art08.asp
The first information session for the tour takes place Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at the Nanaimo campus, 900 Fifth Street, Art Building #325, room 204, at 7 pm. "There will be brochures, a slide show and an opportunity to meet the tour leaders," said Cole. “This is the only session where the tour company representative will be in attendance."
Information sessions are also planned for April 3 and September 25, 2007 both in the Art Building, at 7 pm. Two sessions will be held at Malaspina’s Cowichan campus April 4 and September 26, also at 7 pm. Participants who pay a $350 deposit before March 23 will guarantee their price and place on the tour. Questions can be directed to Jane Cole or Pam Foster at Europe@viu.ca.
Application packages and brochures are available at the reception desk in the Centre for International Education (Bldg. 255) on the Nanaimo campus, or contact Audrey Hansen, Manager of Study Abroad by telephone, (250) 740-6312 or by email studyabroad@viu.ca.
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