by Sean Forester, leader of our September 2019 trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg For many of us, the images we have formed of Russia are rooted in Soviet times: We picture a tyrannical and bureaucratic country full of dreary buildings. Or maybe our images come from Hollywood and its […]
I first met van Gogh when I was a 14-year-old bookworm devoted to exploring the richness of the local public library’s holdings. I had been making my way through the English literary canon and was already deeply committed to the written word when I found myself casually browsing through the […]
For those of you who, like me, read everything on Vincent van Gogh you can get your hands and eyes on, there are several recent works you may enjoy, from books to films to art exhibits. First is Bernadette Murphy’s 2016 work Van Gogh’s Ear. Scrupulous as to details, research […]
[Editor’s note: This is first in a series on the role food has played on Classical Pursuits trips as we remember the formidable, exuberant Anthony Bourdain. Enjoy!] By Nella Cotrupi Often, it is the most modest of food that creates the ambience for friendships to bloom and take root. During […]
by Classical Pursuits founder and longtime walker Ann Kirkland For some, walking is a time-wasting and arduous chore when there are so many faster ways to get from A to B. And days-long hiking is a pointless and punishing undertaking. For others, the idea of a pilgrimage smacks of self-denying […]
“Knock, knock.” “Come on in. The door’s open.” That’s the kind of open-armed reception you receive in Newfoundland, where we will be returning this August on the Travel Pursuit In Search of the Newfoundland Soul. As before, we will split our time between St. John’s and the Eastport […]
“Well, you know, we all want to change the world …” It was not the Beatles but the Rolling Stones at the centre of a mammoth street party in Cuba just before we arrived. Still, I could not help using the Beatles’ lens during my stay of nearly a month with […]
In just a few days Ann will be following in the footsteps of Pope Francis, Barack Obama, and the Rolling Stones. She is off on our first-ever Travel Pursuit to Cuba. As she was reading and packing she realized she needed a crash course in Cuban history and so prepared […]
A guest post by Sean Forester I hope you enjoy my painting of San Giorgio Maggiore at dawn. Those of you who travelled to Venice with Tom Jones and Ann experienced the calm grandeur of this vista. As I reflect on the scene, I can almost hear Mahler’s Adaggietto from his […]
I confess that I have not yet been to Portugal but have been for some time under its sway. Classical Pursuits is going to Portugal this October because it has charmed and wooed me from afar. Why has this small corner of Europe come to sing so sweetly to me? […]