March 2012

A Chance To Study At Oxford University This Summer

Anglophiles who wish they’d gone to Oxford instead of Podunk U. will have the chance

this summer when The Oxford Experience takes place at Christ Church, one of the most beautiful and prestigious of Oxford colleges with its ancient quads, Tudor dining hall and oak-paneled classrooms. This residential summer school program, open to everyone, lasts six weeks from July 1 to August 11, 2012.  It offers one-week courses in some 60 liberal arts subjects: everything from The Brontës to Roman Britain, as well as Tudor London, Page Fright and How to Overcome It, Elizabeth I, Introduction to Particle Physics, The Novels of Thomas Hardy, Cotswolds Folk Traditions, Cardinal Wolsey Renaissance Prelate, Oxfordshire Towns, Anthony Trollope and English Country Houses.

Each course starts on Sunday, finishing the following Saturday after breakfast (though anyone attending for two or more weeks gets free accommodation over the intervening weekends--and people do attend for two or even four or six weeks, year after year).  The program attracts not only American vacationers but a cosmopolitan mix from all over the world, varying in age from 25 to 90.

The Oxford Experience is also a chance to sample student life at Christ Church.  Accommodations are in student dorms—which range from picturesque 18th-century to modern—and some rooms have private bath.  Summertime students can feel the magic of Christ Church, entering beneath Christopher Wren’s Tom Tower, being greeted by a bowler-hatted porter, while gazing at Tom Quad and the college chapel (which is also the Oxford cathedral).

 Everyone dines in the magnificent Hall, familiar from the Harry Potter films, which is lined with portraits of famous Christ Church alumni—W.H. Auden, Lewis Carroll, John Wesley, Anthony Eden and several other prime ministers. Three daily meals are included: a full English breakfast, a buffet lunch and a served three-course dinner.  Each participant is invited to dine on High Table once, and on the final night a reception in the green and flowering Cathedral Garden is followed by a gala dinner in the Hall.

 Throughout the week there are excursions to stately homes, castles, museums and such, tours of Oxford, strawberries and wine in the Master’s Garden, a display of traditional Morris Dancing, a whisky tasting, evening lectures and concerts.

The price of a one-week course—including tuition, accommodations and all meals (except those on excursions) is £1,135 or  $1,796.  Excursions and private bathrooms are extra.  The deadline for registration is May 1, but courses are already filling up, so early application is advised.  For information visit http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/oxfordexperience  or write to The Oxford Experience, OUDCE, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA, U.K.

Grand Circle Cruise Line Announces New Departures For The Floriade Expo

Grand Circle Cruise Line, the worldwide leader in four-star cruising for Americans 50+,

pleased to announce that ten departures of the popular Romance of the Rhine & Mosel river cruise will feature the once-in-a-decade Floriade World Horticultural Exposition.  Started in 1962 in the Netherlands, Floriade is a celebration of nature and – for a country that prides itself on its flowers – it is a crowning achievement.  Grand Circle Cruise Line added the ten Floriade departure dates after high demand sold out all Floriade departures on a sister cruise.

Recognized by CNN, Lonely Planet, Smarter Travel, and others as a top destination for 2012, Floriade is much more than a garden show – it's a feast for all the senses – and it will draw over 2 million travelers to the Venlo Region of the Netherlands.  The theme this year is to "be part of the theatre in nature, get closer to the quality of life," and visitors will stroll through ornately sculpted landscapes, fields of colorful tulips, and organized vegetable gardens, all devoted to well-being, sustainability, innovation, environment, and world cultures.  Floriade is a global endeavor, and visitors will have a worldly experience, tasting traditional European foods, marveling at the craftsmanship of Chinese and Japanese gardeners, and enjoying the folk music of Turkey.

In addition to Floriade, Grand Circle travelers will explore several countries on their cruise, which takes them along the Rhine and Mosel Rivers, and from Belgium through the Netherlands and on to Germany, France, and Switzerland.  Grand Circle's exclusive Discovery Series events provide an even more intimate look at the region, such as a Kaffeeklatsch – a coffee and cake break – with a local German family, a wine tour and tasting, and talks on the European Union and Swiss traditions.  

The program begins at $3395 per person ($243 per day) without airfare or from $4445, or $318 per day, with air from New York and includes: 14 night accommodations on Grand Circle's private river ship, all meals, with complimentary wine at dinner, 12 tours, captain's receptions and dinners, and much more.

Departure dates for the Romance of the Rhine & Mosel cruise that include an excursion to Floriade are: May 5, 10, 24, and 30, June 13 and 27, and July 2, 13, and 16, August 13, and September 10.  Single supplements are free—for savings of $1145.

Grand Circle Cruise Line's fleet includes 12 river ships with passenger capacities ranging from 50-250, three 50-passenger ocean vessels, and more than 45 exclusive small ship charters.   All river ships have all outside cabins, reception area, bar and lounge, library, dining room, sun deck and more.

For information about Grand Circle's Romance of the Rhine & Mosel or about all Grand Circle Cruise Line river cruises and small ship cruises, please visit www.gct.com.

Grand Circle Cruise Line is part of Grand Circle Corporation, a leader in international travel, adventure and discovery for Americans aged 50 and older.  The cruise line joins sister brands Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Travel to provide more than 80 river and small ship cruises, small group adventures by land, escorted tours, and extended stay vacations to more than 110,000 travelers each year.