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Elderhostel Notebook December 1996
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Elderhostel Notebook is the monthly e-mail publication of the
Silver Threads, an informal collection of net seniors. It is the
product of elderhostlers, and is independent of the Elderhostel
organization and not associated with it.
It is published in conjunction with the Silver Threads
Newsletter, but has a separate mailing list. Submissions are
welcome and voluntary as are comments and suggestions.
Editor is Jim Olson olsonjam@uwec.edu
There is no charge for either publication. Just contact the
editor to subscribe.
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Contents
From the Editors Notebook
Elderhostel Potpourri
Elderhostel Reports
Personals
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Editor's Notebook
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With this issue, we have started a new schedule of publication
that could roughly be described as "Erratic Scheduling." we will
be putting out the newsletter as enough material related to
elderhosteling accumulates with a rough relationship to a monthly
schedule.
I've been reading parts of a PHd dissertation on the perception
of time in the aged. It is full of psychobabble and
incomprehensible to readers of any age, but essentially points
out the fact we don't view time in the manner we did when we were
younger (oops- I actually said something in plain English). At
any rate, I'll use that as a rationalization for the erratic
scheduling.
We have also changed "News and Comments" to "Elderhostel
Potpourri" a section for whatever you want to write relating to
elderhosteling. We've initiated it with an interesting essay
describing the Golden North Hotel, an Alaskan Elderhostel site.
We will still print regular news and features here as well.
Maybe somebody, for example, could do an essay for us on
"Elderhosteling as and Adventure in Eating" and so on.
We have learned of the existence of "local elderhostels" taught
by elderhostelers themselves with the program limited to classes
only- no food or lodging. If someone knows more about this- it
would make a good article for this section as well.
Just a reminder to writers of reports of elderhostels. Readers
need to know the location, date, and sponsoring institution of
the elderhostel to help them locate the program in a catalog. I
don't have the time as editor to check this out as I generally
just print what you send in- sometimes trimming to fit space
needs.
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Elderhostel Potpourri
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Golden North Hotel
Elsie Donaldson Ayer heayer@worldnet.att.net
Skagway, Alaska, October 1996
I am sitting in the lobby of the Golden North Hotel. It is the
third Tuesday in October and my husband and I are awaiting our
Elderhostel group's appearance for a robust breakfast.
It is lightly snowing outside. The lobby of the Golden North is a
little shabby but warm and inviting if you happen to like Alaskan
antiques combined with a giant unforgettable indescribable
jukebox. The walls of the hotel lobby are figured pattern and
whorehouse red in color. I think they were trying for a type of
brocade but missed. The three old ceiling fans whir 24 hours a
day. The beautiful wood lobby desk is resplendent with a huge
skinned bear hung on the wall above along with the head of a
walrus with tusks 30" long.
Kitsch adorns the walls from an antique picture of Jesus to early
scenes of Alaska and the Gold Rush days. Very large live
tropical trees thrive in the many storefront size windows. I
wouldn't begin to try and guess the ages of these trees which may
have started out as plants. Interesting varieties of many other
old plants sit around on an assortment of tables and stands. It
is all very relaxing and I find I work well in this lobby where
so many famous and infamous people have stayed over the years.
The dining room where we Elderhostelers take all our meals is
hung with real looking cobwebs and spiders plus large ghosts.
They are all leftovers from the town's annual Halloween dance
which is always held two weeks before Halloween.
There is the possibility we may get snowed in any day this time
of year. If we do I can well entertain myself in this lobby. I
do not miss telephones, television, e-mail or faxs. (My husband
brought along a transistor radio to use for election returns
during the three days we are on the ferry.) It is peaceful not
knowing everything that is happening today in the world from the
media. Yesterday my husband bought me the book I Married the
Klondike which is the classic book on Alaska that is taught
schoolchildren both in Canada and the U.S. If heavy snow comes I
can curl up in a corner of this remarkable hotel lobby and relive
history of early Alaska.
If I were half my present age I would pack up and move here to
the exciting last frontier on our continent. Unfortunately, I
cannot do this so I will have to be content with viewing and
reviewing Fodor's Alaska video from the public library.
_______________
Packing to go Elderhostleing
-olsonjam@uwec.edu
Host institutions for your elderhostel visit always send out
those lists of things that will probably be needed for your
stay,"Bring a warm coat- evenings get cool,in Upper Slobovia"
etc. In addition to those host suggestions, Maggie and I have a
little check off list for general elderhosteling that we
sometimes but not always (and then later regret) check off as we
pack for any elderhostel. In talking to others at elderhostels
and in reading some of the reports submitted here we have
compiled a list of things you might want to have along with you:
100-150 watt light bulbs- most elderhostel hosts consider you to
be avid carrot eaters with excellent night vision and supply
reading lamps with 20-60 watt bulbs.
Extra set of eye glasses- and/or lens prescription
Prescription for the medications you take- sun screen.
Flashlights- film for camera- camera- playing cards.
Extra shoes- rain gear- book to read- paper to write on -pen.
Hearing aid batteries- camera batteries- flashlight batteries
List of phone numbers you might need (if a phone is available at
site)
List of your favorite elderhostels: somebody will ask.
Postage stamps especially for post cards. Your grand kids want to
hear from you.
Maps of the area
Needle- thread - spare button or two- safety pins.
Pillow- you may prefer your own to the one there -seat cushions
if sessions get too long and chairs harden under you.
Credit cards -AAA card- car insurance card-extra car key- check
book
A travel medical kit.
But don't worry if you forget one or two- some other hosteler can
and always does help out in an emergency.
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Elderhostel Reports
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"Astronaut Training: Senior Style"
- Esther K. Gelbard ARIES432@aol.com
This adventure started on June 1996 with a call from my friend
Margie who lives in St. Louis. Margie saw this Elderhostel
listed in the latest catalogue and thought of me. We have been
Star Trekkians since the '60s even though we first met at an
Elderhostel in 1993.
I was hooked when I read "If the adventure of space travel
excites your imagination then we have the program for you. Spend
an action-packed week at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center
learning about the space program. You will be briefed by our
highly qualified staff, build and launch rockets, train in our
simulators and ultimately test your own skills as you fly a
shuttle mission. By the week's end, we
will have convinced that YOU have the "right stuff". I took the
challenge.
This was a fantasy adventure of a lifetime. I know that I have
the "right stuff" but my 65 year old aching body could not take
the stress nor wear and tear of actually going into space.
The highlights for me include my pictures in a full space suit,
the rocket which I built and launched, the briefings,
viewing Earth's satellites, getting a prospective of the of the
scale of our solar system, observing the night's sky and seeing
the planet Saturn with its rings, Jupiter and other stars through
powerful telescopes.
Another interesting aspect was the tour of Hall of Space Museum
with a graphic display of the history of flight. This included
the largest collection of Russian cosmosphere artifacts including
the first Russian female cosmonaut's space suit, is a fascinating
museum. We learned that Space is a hazardous place to live.
"What items we would need to survive on the moon" was a great
exercise in problem solving. We learned about our space shuttle
from the (RSC) Right Stuff Central. We viewed "Our Night's Sky"
and Earth's Satellites in the planetarium. We saw "The Dream is
Alive", a laser light show,"Destiny in Space", Storm Chasers, and
Special Effects, that Hollywood has been able to create in the
Omnimax Theatre.
We toured the Spaceworks Rocket Shop which was an outgrowth of
this cosmosphere. This shop produced all the simulations for
"Apollo 13" and is the only shop that the Smithsonian Air Space
Museum in Washington, DC will trust with repairing their space
artifacts. The original Apollo 13 was at the Spaceworks waiting
to be refurbished, it had been in a museum in France since that
ill-fated flight.
We were divided up into seven teams for our future astronaut
training program tour orientation for the last two days of our
exciting adventure. On Friday morning before this Elderhostel
ended, we went to the FALCON Mock-up and then we "flew" our
Falcon Mission. We were the last team to fly the shuttle and as
the commander when I checked in with mission control, I referred
to myself as the commander of "The Spacey Seniors" which made a
hit with the staff. All the members of the crew had a Falcon
Flight Checklist (similar to what the astronauts use in space)
which was a script for our flight which we tried to follow. After
only an hour of training with the cardboard mock-up, we really
weren't as prepared as the students in space camp who have two
weeks to practice.
After "successfully" launching a satellite and returning to
earth, my space fantasy had come to a positive conclusion. Yes,
I had the right stuff and so did all 30 of my fellow cosmosphere
elderhostelers. A space adventure which would have to satisfy my
yearnings to travel in space.
______________________
Alaska Pacific U Elderhostel
From: MarthaPH@aol.com
Returned two weeks ago from 2 weeks in Alaska. The first week was
at Alaska Pacific U. in Anchorage. We stayed in the dormitory, 6
to a "pod", sharing bath with one shower and two stools. The
bathroom and the floors in the bedrooms were NOT as clean as they
should have been. Otherwise, accomodations fine with a wonderful
view of Chugach Mountains. Food was very good. The classes were
on one of the AK tribes, the Tlingit (sp?) from the AK panhandle.
The teacher was with the university and did an outstanding job:
knew her material intimately and was very well organized. The
other class, which we thought took up too many days, was on the
Russian Orthodox Church and was taught by the archbishop of the
Anchorage cathedral, Father Nicholas. He too was an excellent
speaker.
The best part was the week at Denali National Park about 250 mi.
north of Anchorage. We were indeed fortunate to see Mt. McKinley
on our coach trip up there because most of the time and for sure
when we were there, the mountain kept itself hidden behind
clouds, fog and mist. We stayed at a place in McKinley Village
built especially for EH'ers and it was great. The learning center
was the place where we had all our meals, VERY tasty, cooked
especially for us by the EH staff. We also had all our classes in
that building. Windows across the back look out on the Nenana
River where some of us went for a float trip (extra) that week.
Cabins, 12 of them, are just down the road from the learning
center: 2 double bedrooms with a bath between in each cabin. Very
nice, well-kept and clean. Classes were wonderful: a man who
climbed Denali (Mt. McKinley) twice; a man who has participated
in the Iditerod many times, came with his lead dog, his sled and
all his equipment; a man who had lived many years in AK; the head
of the Denali Foundation who told us of homesteading, building a
house in the middle of winter he can only get there in winter
months! Lots of experts on wildlife, field trips into the park
(though weather disappointing, cold rainy but NO MOSQUITOS in
early August). Took the train back to Anchorage and that was a
pleasant 8 hr. ride.
If you go, be sure to take their advice, and LAYER. So it is the
middle of summer in the lower 48 it's still darned cold up there,
but be able to take things off instead of taking bulky coats. I
wished I had extra turtle-necks, sweat shirts and fewer short
sleeved shirts. Hiking boots are much appreciated, though I just
wore my Reeboks.
Also, look into U of A at Fairbanks for one of your weeks there.
We were crazy about Denali but just lukewarm about Anchorage.
MartyPH
___________________
Splendor in the Bluegrass sponsored by Lexington Community
College October 13-18 1996 Ron Reas
Lodging: Shoney's Inn, Lexington, Kentucky
Splendor in the Bluegrass covers the thoroughbred horse industry
in the Lexington area; and the history, people, and the beauty of
the area. Several people knowledgeable in the equine business
gave lectures and answered questions. These were followed by a
behind the scenes tour of Keeneland race track to watch morning
practice, visit the sale building, press room, and corporate
suites. This tour was extremely interesting and led by the
Keeneland customer relations director. We also toured Kentucky
Horse Park and Gainesway Farm.
The historic part of the program had lectures on Henry Clay, Mary
Todd Lincoln, Kentucky architecture, Kentucky Shakers,and rock
fences of the bluegrass. I'm sure most people were surprised at
how interesting our University of Kentucky professor made his
lecture on rock fences. We toured Henry Clay's estate, Gratz
Park, Lexington Cemetary, and the Hadley Whitney Museum.
All our meals except for a breakfast at Keeneland, a lunch at
Henry Clay's home, and a picnic were served at the Shoney's
Restaurant next door to the motel. The meals consisted of a
breakfast buffet and anything from the seniors menu for lunch and
dinner with salad bar included with everything.
We had one free afternoon which most people used to attend the
races at Keeneland. We discovered that all the information we had
received about race horses was of little benefit when it came to
picking a winner. I would recommend that anyone interested in
this Elderhostel attend either during the Spring or Fall racing
season. The area is beautiful at both times of the year.
_____________________
Peoples Program in New Orleans
Ron Maggi
My wife and I highly recommend the People Program Elderhostel in
New Orleans. We attended Part 1 last March and thought that it
was great. When we saw that they were offering a Part 2 which is
aptly called "New Orleans, the Second Time Around", we
immediately sent in our applications and were fortunate in being
accepted into the inaugural Part 2 session which began on
10/27/96.
Except for breakfast, most meals are offered at different
restaurants throughout the area and the food is outstanding and
often of gourmet quality.
The instructors were tops in their fields and included one of the
premier architects of New Orleans, a NY Times jazz critic/author
and Miss Leah Chase, the chef-owner of the famed Dookie Chase
restaurant. Topics covered included jazz, history, architecture,
literature, cooking and voodoo.
____________
#17749-1020-1, "Explore An Underground World" at Mammoth Cave
National Park sponsored by Western Kentucky University, October
20 - 26.
Leni Paul Hirsch starace@worldnet.att.net
The timing and location of this Elderhostel is ideal for viewing
fall foliage, both driving to Kentucky and at the site itself.
The trees are at the height of their coloration and it certainly
added to the enjoyment of the week. We received a phone call a
month or so prior to the date of the session asking if we wished
to stay in a separate cabin at the Mammoth Cave Inn or in the
main building of the Inn itself. Given this choice we chose the
cabin. When we arrived at the Inn we found that the cabins were
rather far from the main building and most importantly to us,
having a 93 year old mother/mother-in-law at home, did not have
any phones. When we expressed some doubt as to our choice of
accommodations we were immediately offered a room in the main
building. This desire to make our stay as pleasant as possible
was a theme that was carried out unfailingly for the entire week.
At the first evening get-together we discovered that our fellow
Elderhostlers ranged in age from the mid-fifties to the
mid-eighties. Being somewhere in the middle we wondered how the
individuals in the upper part of the range were going to fare at
the advertised hikes and cave explorations. Needless to say we
learned our lesson and the octogenarians were as capable and in
some cases more capable than we "youngsters" in touring five
separate caves and enjoying our two + hour nature hikes.
This was the first solo effort by our coordinator, Melody Gravil.
She was certainly sensitive to our needs and planned a full, fun
filled week. Since this also seemed to be the first effort by
the Inn to accommodate an Elderhostel she was instrumental in
having the menu changed as needed by the kitchen and the
facilities of the hotel at our disposal. As a result our group
enjoyed fairly good food and more than adequate service.
The Mammoth Cave system includes many other caves, some in
private hands, and we were transported to some of these other
entrances for guided tours. There were also class sessions with
professors from Western Kentucky University detailing the plant
and animal life in the area. Between the Park Rangers and these
experts we really felt that we had a true Mammoth Cave
experience.
This was our second Elderhostel and just as at the first, the
group quickly meshed and the 30 or so individuals became a group
that seemed to enjoy each other's company and experiences. During
the hikes and tours we delighted in pointing out various features
that we discovered to the rest of the party and at the evening
activities found that we liked rehashing the days activities. At
our graduation dinner a number of people expressed their delight
in the experience we had all enjoyed by creating parody songs
highlighting some of the funny moments that had occurred. We left
with the warm feeling that we had made a lot of new friends and
with the hope that our paths would cross again at some future
Elderhostel.
At the end of the week we discovered another feature of Mammoth
Cave. It is less than two hours away from Nashville, Tenn..
Opryland and the Grand Old Opry provided us with a great finish
for a most enjoyable week. If you enjoy an active Elderhostel
experience and doing something out of the ordinary - sign up for
the next one!
____________
Sorrento Elderhostel
Joan and Dan Schnyer adan@aol.com or jschnyer@pen.k12.va.us
It was our first EH so we have no basis of comparison with other
EH trips but compared to other travel experiences, on a scale of
1 to 10 it would easily rate a 9+. The one minor disappointment
was the food, and that may have a lot to do with our expectations
regarding Italian food which were shaped by excellent Italian
eateries in our area . Meals were served in a large dining room
with white linen tablecloths , waiters and a menu. Wine could be
ordered and bottles kept for you from meal to meal. The food was
certainly freshly prepared, sufficient quantity and varied but
seasoned for tourists, which apparently means very bland. We did
sneak out for a couple of restaurant meals which were excellent.
We also had a similar complaint about the tourist circuit food
when we were on our own in Florence and Rome. I would advise
getting away from the tourist areas for meals if at all possible.
The hotel in Sorrento was lovely and centrally situated so that
we could easily walk everywhere ( albeit on alert for the heavy
traffic and speedy motor scooters with no traffic signals ). We
had a large, clean room and terrace, full bath, comfortable
beds, daily cleaning service, telephone and color TV (with CNN
international). A few minor drawbacks were that the streets were
very noisy at night and prevented many of the participants from
sleeping well and there were no comfortable chairs or reading
lights in the rooms. There was a large and comfortable "lobby"
downstairs which could be used for reading with a bar (for
coffee, tea and drinks) and large screen TV. Ear plugs were
suggested for the sleep sensitive. The hotel and dining room
staff were very pleasant, responsive and they spoke English.
With all the comforts in place, the real highlight for us was the
educational aspect of the program. The lecturers were excellent.
There were a wide range of topics covered in great depth by very
knowledgable and personable instructors. There was a good balance
between classroom instruction and field trips to Paestum, Cuma,
Pompeii, Naples, Amalfi, the Amalfi drive, Capri and around
Sorrento. The lecturers accompanied us to the sites and often
provided guides and maps to what we were going to see. There was
a lot of Greek and Roman mythology and since I am pretty rusty in
that regard, it probably would have been a good idea to review
some of it ahead of time. Not that our delightful lecturer didn't
review and repeat. I mostly enjoyed the contemporary cultural,
social and political information.
Our tour coordinator was a bundle of energy and ran everything
with precision and efficency . Being a native of the area, her
first hand knowledge and expertise on everything from laundry
facilities to shopping to transportation was invaluable. She
arranged for fascinating trips for groups and individuals during
the 1 and 1/2 days of free time . Her assistant was also very
helpful, knowledgable and had a trained soprano voice which
provided us with a delightful "extra". She gave a concert of
sacred music for our group one evening in the local cathedral.
We had thought that traveling in October would be an "off" season
and there would be fewer fellow tourists to contend with. Wrong!
We probably encountered more tourists than Italians. The island
of Capri was particularly crowded with tourists. It actually made
what should have been a gorgeous experience somewhat obnoxious.
In other areas the coordinators were able to minimize the effects
of the crowds and move us around and through sites very
comfortably. They also arranged for special "treats" during our
outings, such as having a lovely lunch in a private courtyard
area of Pompeii, rather than in the cafeteria with the mobs or
having to haul box lunches.
Our fellow EH participants were a varied, interesting and
companionable bunch. Much of our enjoyment came from meeting all
the different people and sharing experiences. This was a bonus I
didn't really expect, including establishing relationships that
we will try to continue.
We spent a few days on our own in Florence and Rome and realized
how much we missed our "instruction" and companionship. We are
very pleased with our first EH experience. There was a couple in
our group who were on their 39th EH trip! We won't top that but
we're looking forward to another.
_______________
Alaska Elderhostel (from elders listserv)
Audrey Autio
The program started in Anchorage and we were housed in campus
dorms at Alaska Pacific University.
The setting is breathtaking with the mountains surrounding it
changing colors every 10 minutes or so depending on cloud
movement and weather. It never did get "dark" while we were
there. One of the subjects we studied was the Russian Orthodox
Church and the early missionary's role in "converting" the native
people 200 years ago.
It is interesting to note that many of the customs, rituals and
ceremonies practiced by the natives closely resembled teachings
found in the Holy Bible, Just the method of expression was
different. Be that as it may, conversion progressed and the
Russian influence is quite prevalent. Two other classes held
there were The study of the Central Yup'ik Eskimo, their
lifestyle, food, shelter (which was not in Igloos but
underground) and Native Art particularly the Eskimo masks and
their function.
At the end of the week, we had one day free before traveling on
to Sitka. Boarding a tour bus, we traveled to Whittier where we
were to take a tour of Prince William sound on a 104 foot
catamaran. In order to get there, this bus had to be driven
(fully loaded with us tourists) up on a flatbed railroad car at
Portage (and I saw no visible means of securing us to it )
through two mountain tunnels, one 2 minutes long and the other 6
minutes long in complete darkness. Weird feeling! One women, a
minister's wife panicked. She has a phobia about complete
darkness and finally one of the group remembered she had a small
flashlight in her bag. She held it to har face which calmed her
down and the rest of the trip was uneventful.
There is no way I can describe the awesome beauty and sheer
magnitude of those fiords and glaciers. The seals playing among
the floating ice bits that shear off almost constantly and
majestic waterfalls crashing down to waters edge. A bird rookery
against the side of a glacier with thousands of these small sea
birds doing their thing. Once in a while, a small outboard motor
boat with native fisherman waving to us, dwarfed by the size of
the glaciers. It rained that day, pretty hard at times but I
had a slicker on and the only time I went inside the cabin was
to eat. It was that beautiful. The second week, we were housed at
the Sheldon Jackson Collage in Sitka which by the way is part of
a temperate rain forest. We were fortunate to have 3 really sunny
days in the 80's and the rest just a bit cloudy with some mist.
Our studies continued with "Alaskan Native Lifeways" mainly the
southeast Tlingit and Haida Indians.
The study of Russian Icon history and last but not least Alaska
railroads and the impact they had on the growth of Alaska. I have
sampled many foods cooked in class including "Muktuk" which is
whale pickled with onion. muskox, herring eggs attached to
hemlock branches and dipped in seal oil. (crunchy) and Agutak
Eskimo icecream which consists of crisco, confectionary sugar and
berries. Sitka is a lovely place and I would have loved to stay
another week. The cruise ships that visited, docked right at the
foot of the college. Salmon were jumping in only a foot of water
near the shore where I felt I could reach down and pick one up
with my hands, and the American Bald Eagle, majestic creature,
perched atop a fir tree surveying his territory and daring
anything to challenge him.
Finally, I must mention the New Archangel dancers in Sitka. They
are a must see if any of you get there. An all women troupe that
perform amazing feats of dance considering a womens physical
structure and center of gravity. Very impressive. Does it sound
as though I enjoyed this trip? You Bet!
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Personals
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From: CarolKD@aol.com
Thank you for organizing and sending the notebook. I've enjoyed
the last two issues, and find much of it a pleasure to read and
really informative for those of us who enjoy planning and going
all over the world.
My own favorite programs include the following, some of which I
attend every year: 1. an extremely intensive opera course -- 1
opera with comparative recordings studied for the 5 days -- at
Univ of New England, near Kennebunkport, ME -- this is definitely
NOT for someone who just thinks they might enjoy a little opera
(they also do some very fine programs on the history, culture and
architecture of the beautiful south Maine region). It's a nice
campus very near the beach and sea and a friendly, helpful staff
with a lot of experience and the usual semi/comfortable
dormitories and food. Those of us who return every summer
consider it "summer camp for opera afficianados". This is a
beautiful, historic part of Maine to explore with a car or see a
LITTLE of on the opera course field trips. The other courses
have wonderful trips.
2. Bermuda at the B. Center for Biological Research (BBSR) --
various programs covering island life, culture history, or
marine biology oceanography, and which use very pleasant
facilities in a historic building away from all tourism but near
one of the small historic cities. A good program for walkers and
explorers with fine field trips and pretty good food. It has been
beautifully run for a number of years by Diana Lynn, the really
outstanding director and a very fine staff. It's usually too
cold for swimming when the EH's happen but I think there is one
in May. Bermuda in winter is 60-ish and usually beautiful, with
real flowers growing. There are generally a couple of rainy,
windy days in the winter months when I go down for 2 weeks. This
is NOT the hot, sunny Caribbean! Visitors get around Bermuda by
local bus and taxi; no rental cars. The EH field trips are
excellent, to all the lovely far corners.
3. I recommend ANY of the programs in Italy. They are run by
Trinity College, Hartford, CT, and are invariably outstanding
amongst the int'l programs. I've attended Lake Garda and
Sorrento and will go to Padua/Venice on April 2. I can't wait!!
4. Forgot to rave about the trips to various universities in
Britain, usually 3 weeks in various regions. Those I've done
have been absolutely fine and I'll go again.
I've been to many other Elderhostels which were very pleasant and
more or less informative. I generally base my choices on an area
I want to visit and then find an interesting program to enjoy.
Also, I always spend more time, either before or after, in
exploring the area on my own. Aint retirement grand?!!
To anyone who has never traveled alone and is nervous about it, I
strongly recommend Elderhostel as a way of being somewhat
independent but always having pleasant people to be with and a
chance to make new friends within the very supportive group. You
can do everything as part of the group, or learn to go exploring
a little on your own when you have free time. You will never eat
a meal alone and EH finds you a roommate if you don't have one to
share with. On many programs it is usually possible to pay extra
for a single room, but not always. This is the perfect way to
begin to travel without a partner.
I've travelled a lot but now return to familar places with EH
because it's a chance to see a city or region from a different,
more organized point of view, totally different from travelling
either with a typical tour group or independently. And of course
there is the help with transfers, handling luggage, and
arrangements of all sorts. It's lots easier to arrive in a
strange city where perhaps I doesn't speak the language and have
a wonderful coordinator meeting me with a nice big bus and new
friends!
You can see I'm a big fan! If you've always stayed close to home
or gone on domestic, one week trips, see if you can swing one of
the longer trips overseas. They are usually wonderful and an
excellent value since your airfare, accommodations for 2 or 3
weeks, 3 meals a day, lectures and field trips are all included!
No commercial tour will meet that; I know, I've been a travel
consultant for over 20 years, now happily retired.
I hope anyone who takes my advice will have as good a time as I
do! ENJOY!
CarolKD
_______________
From: Bk2Apple@aol.com
I'll be leaving for Phoenix, on Tues. (Thanksgiving with family)
and will check out the Day's Inn on W.Thomas... I am hoping to
connect with a couple of programs in Phx. or Tucson in Jan. or
Feb. There are so many to choose from I'll most likely select by
location. My grandson is a student at U of A in Tucson...few
excellent programs in that area. All suggestions welcome. BK
From: Joancneuw@aol.com
We here in central Jersey have an at home program in conjuction
with Rutgers. Our Academy of LIfetime Learning has a coordinator
with office space on campous but those of us who are interested
make the arrangements,get speakers or run the 10 week program at
a local church. For $75/term you may take two courses. I
developed a course on the history of women in this century and
one of my students has continued it this term as women moving on.
It is a very satisfying but time consuming venture. Joan
*************************
from a Grand Canyon Elderhostel
Time and Time again
Time climbs
The Canyon walls
Layer upon layer,
Pauses briefly and leaps to join
The stars.