Our last days in Cambodia were packed with magnificent and mysterious Angkor temples and local culture. Heat and humidity sapped my remaining energy, so I am now composing a final post from the comfort of home. Click on thumbnail images to enlarge. CAVEAT: Please understand that a trip of several […]
On flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly, and often still, known as Saigon). First, I want to say how the hearts of all of us on this trip are concerned for those who have borne the wrath of the benign-sounding Sandy. I hope you are all safe […]
The Camino is full of symbols and rituals, which can be taken literally, dismissed as silly, or taken metaphorically. Pilgrims of all ages and backgrounds seem drawn into these age old rituals. At any way station or significant marker, pilgrims leave stones brought from home, bandanas, luggage tags from flights, […]
A quick note before a bunch of us take off for India. Lots of preparation – reading, movies, visa, shots, packing, repacking. But how does one prepare emotionally for India? I don’t know. I am going, I hope, with an open heart and mind and no expectations of making sense of […]
I (Gary Schoepfel) am afflicted with an advanced case of wanderlust. So, when Ann Kirkland mentioned Vietnam, I found myself accepting before she completed her invitation to accompany another Classical Pursuit’s trip. “Of course, of course” was my immediate and enthusiastic response. After accepting, I took pause. “Vietnam.” Hmmm? The […]
We are rapidly approaching the deadline for booking the Classical Pursuits trip to North India, CONFOUNDED & BEWITCHED: The Strange Rise of Modern India, February 24 – March 11, 2012. I have heard from some of our friends that they feel a bit apprehensive about traveling to someplace so far […]
Ah, Key West. Much more than a winter getaway destination, Key West combines a free-spirited ambiance with magnificent coral reefs, a unique historic legacy with an enduring creative sensibility — especially literary. For three-quarters of a century, Key West has been a haven and an inspiration for some of America’s […]
Rosemary Gould will be the discussion leader for Classical Pursuits’ spring trip, Founding Farmer; Thomas Jefferson at Home. Rosemary lives in Charlottesville and is eager to share it with Ann Kirkland and other inquiring minds who love great literature, architecture, and history. Rosemary writes: When I first came to Charlottesville […]
In the merry month of May, when the azaleas and dogwood are in full bloom, we will make our way to Charlottesville, Virginia to become better acquainted with that most dazzling of American founding fathers on his home turf, Thomas Jefferson. It is common knowledge that Jefferson was the third […]