“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent,
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| Florence |
Mark your calendars! Our first meeting will be held THURSDAY, APRIL 24 at 6pm in SS 278.
Welcome aboard, we're so glad to have you!
Now is a time of preparation. There is much reading to be done, and researching of delicious restaurants, and planning of free time! Your level of preparation for the trip will be directly proportional to your enjoyment of the course: the more you learn now, the more amazing everything will be when you see it in real life.
There is a very intense reading period in the weeks leading up to our departure. Start now, and that reading will be even more enjoyable. See the syllabus for details and work as far ahead as you like. Start with Greenblatt's The Swerve, which you will need to have read in full before our first meeting in May.
In the mean time, buy yourself a journal. Keep in mind, this is something you'll be carrying with you across Europe, so it should be suitably sized: not too big! However, presumably you'll be so enlightened and inspired on this trip that you'll have pages and pages to write each day as you ponder deep questions of humanity: so not too small, either. Something digital, like a laptop or tablet, is certainly an option but remember that you'll then be dependent on battery-charging, etc, etc. American electronic devices in Europe can be zapped by Europe's 220-volt plugs (we learned this the hard way). Also, thieves are less likely to target a road-worn journal, no matter how priceless the insights scribbled inside.
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| Petrarch's Homestead, outside Avignon, France |
Be sure to watch the PINTEREST PAGE, where we'll continue posting videos, music samples, and information on anything related to the trip (If you're unfamiliar with Pinterest, each image is a link to a website for more information.) The video on packing light is especially relevant!
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How about some lighter "research"? Here's a list of recommended movies to prep yourself for the adventure to come. These films are set in different time periods, but you'll get the flavor of the place, and come to recognize particular sights.
MOVIES SET IN FLORENCE AND TUSCANY:
A Room with a View
Tea With Mussolini
My Friends (Amici Miei)
My House in Umbria
Under the Tuscan Sun
Life is Beautiful
Stealing Beauty
Hannibal
Eat, Pray, Love
The English Patient
MOVIES SET IN PROVENCE:
My Father's Glory
My Mother's Castle
Jean de Florette
Manon de Sources
The Horseman on the Roof
Let's Talk About the Rain
Marius, Fanny, Cesar (trilogy)
An Autumn Tale
Marius and Jeanette
A Good Year
MOVIES SET IN SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND:
Elizabeth
Elizabeth the Golden Age
Shakespeare in Love
The Other Boleyn Girl
Lady Jane
Elizabeth R
Orlando
Blackadder Season 2
As You Like It
The Tudors (this is an excellent TV series, but it would be rated R)
plus film versions of virtually every Shakespeare play
