Our hard working students

We are nearing the end of our program. It's hard to believe that we have been here for nearly one month, and that we will be leaving in a couple days. Here are photos of our students as they prepare their final presentations for tomorrow's class. They'll be giving Ignite presentations of their interpretation of either the Literary Gothic or Empire, based on the readings and excursions from the program.









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Vienna, Prague, and London

The group just completed 10 days of travel and excursions on the European continent. Most excursions included a lecture set up followed by a tour and reflective writing to summarize key points. Most afternoons students had free time to investigate additional museums or other highlights of the cities. We started by flying into Vienna, Austria, the home of the Habsburg Empire, visiting the Hofburg, Schönbrunn, St. Stephen's Cathedral, and Sigmund Freud's home. The first picture is the group in front of the Hofburg. The second is a writing session in the gardens of Schoenbrunn.





We travelled next by train to Prague in the Czech Republic, a bureaucratic center for the Habsburg Empire. Our visits included Hradkany, the Prague Castle complex, as well as the Kafka Museum. We also had a full day tour to Konopište, Archduke Franz Ferdinand's hunting lodge, and the Ossuary in Kutna Hora. The first photo shows the group in front of the Kafka Museum, the second at the same location, when students were recording their impressions following the tour, and the third in front of St. Barbara's, with its fabulous flying buttresses, in Kutna Hora.








Our final stop in our experiential travel was in London, where we visited Kew Gardens and Queen Charlotte (and King George III's) palace as well as the greenhouses that housed the many plants acquired by the British Empire. We also visited the Royal Portrait Gallery, analyzing the iconography of both the British Empire as well as that of the Gothic. The first photo shows Big Ben with Buckingham Palace in the background. The second photo shows a group of students on the London Eye.

Studying the Empire and the Gothic in style

Here at the manor, we are having our course meetings in the State Rooms.  These are the ornamented rooms of the manor, which are more elaborate than the plainer servant side of the manor where we are living (except for Matt).  We meet for class from 9:00-12:00, and the afternoons are spent exploring the local area.  Tomorrow is a free day for exploring all day, and students are visiting Brighton, Lincoln, Nottingham, Manchester, and Liverpool.

Rock Stars

We had a photo shoot on the grounds of the manor, and here is our group looking like rock stars.

Welcome to Harlaxton

We have arrived safely and are getting settled in. Here is a photo of the native English Bluebells in full bloom. The English Bluebell is particularly sensitive and is a protected species. Hyacinthoides non-scripta grows wild in the UK, flowering in early May. The Harlaxton fields are a national heritage site and the trails provide a sublime setting to overcome jet lag.



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Final Checklist

We are meeting at 8:45 am on Saturday at the Delta Departure desk.

Some things to be sure to do before you leave:

Measure luggage to make sure it fits. Here is the Virgin Atlantic graphic for "hand baggage".

Pack your 1 quart "liquids and gels" ziploc bag.

Call your credit/debit card Bank and establish your travel plans. Also ask about feed. 

Call you phone provider and make sure you understand how your phone will work abroad. Check the fees for calls and texts.  Remember that we will have access to wifi at the manor and at the hostels. Remember to pack chargers for your electronics.  

Make sure your emergency contact person has the "travel information" from our Bb site.  

Explain to your cats that they cannot come with you, so they must get out of the suitcase. 

(courtesy of Woodenship)

Class Meeting Monday, May 2, 6:00-8:00, Muntz 117

We will be meeting in Muntz 117 for our last American meeting before we leave for the United Kingdom (via Atlanta) on Monday, May 2.  We are meeting from 6:00-8:00 pm to begin our exploration of our courses. To prepare for this meeting, check the Blackboard course site for the course(s) you are registered for.  We will also go over any last minute questions you might have.

We will be meeting at the airport at 8:45 am on Saturday at CVG in front of the Delta check-in desks.  We will all check-in together and go through security together. "Why so early?" you ask.  Well, we are a big group, and we want to stick together, which takes a little more time than one person going through solo.  It's also for the tranquility factor. If we need to sort something out, then it is nice to have time to do so.  "Tranquility" will be our Word of the Day.

An now for your moment of Zen: Ruth is packed and ready.