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 […]
Warm thanks to Bill Gentles who sent this labour of love from our trip to St. John’s and to Eastport. It gives a feel not only about this particular trip but what makes a Classical Pursuits trip special. Here is Bill’s Discovering the Newfoundland Soul, August 2011 replete with 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 […]
We will be in Key West, Florida from January 8 – 13, 2012 to walk the beach where reality and imagination meet, mingle and often get confused. This trip is called Dystopias, Utopias and Imagined Worlds. Desire is arguably the most human emotion. Everyone wants pleasure, love, fulfillment, closeness, happiness, good […]
A true confession: When I am intent on something, I can be more dogged than any canine wth a bone. One of the books we will be discussing in India this coming February/March (Confounded & Bewitched: The Strange Rise of Modern India) is a personal favouite, Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. I learned the extraordinary Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta recently […]
What I enjoy most about planning Classical Pursuits trips is seeking and arranging special encounters, the sort of thing that brings us into close contact with local people who help deepen our relationship to the trip’s theme and to our destination. Here are several examples, from two upcoming trips, of the out of […]
Yes, Hungary is brimming with music, from the concert halls to the clubs and cafes, to parks and streets. And is also known for its hearty and mouth-watering gastronomy. But perhaps you are less familiar with the physical beauty of Budapest and surroundings. Friend Daniel Brooks recently took early retirement from […]
“Out of India”: three writers – Amitav Ghosh, Bharati Mukherjee and K. Satchidanandan — reflect on the country of their childhood and its dynamic changes today. Eleanor Wachtel spoke with them, onstage, at this year’s Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival in Montreal. Listen to Eleanor Wachtel’s panel interview, Out of […]
Music is a basic need of human survival. Music is one of the ways we make sense of our lives, one of the ways in which we express feelings when we have no words, a way for us to understand things with our hearts when we can’t with our minds. […]