Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
TERROR
The intended effect of most terrorism in the modern world is to inflict damage and/or casualties
on a perceived enemy in the most public way possible so as to create an irrational level of fear
and disrupt the way of life of the targeted society. Imagine, instead, that the terrorists are not
outside agents, but your own government, and instead of committing public atrocities, they just
make people disappear. You said something negative about the leader? Maybe the wrong
person overheard you, and in the middle of the night a bunch of men in ski masks pull you out
of your bed and take you...here. The House of Terror is not a cheesy haunted house - it’s a
place where real terror was practiced, by two different regimes who controlled Hungary for much
of the 20th century.
THE HAPSBURGS
When your family rules a big empire for 600 years, it can probably afford a pretty decent
house (or maybe just a 2 bedroom condo in Vancouver). The Hapsburgs saw Louis XIV’s big
house in Versailles and decided to make their own - Schonbrunn Palace.
WIENER STAATSOPER
Vienna, this city of music, has a fittingly grand opera house - one of the busiest in the world
with a different production pretty much every night during their long opera season. We’ll get
a behind the scenes look at this architectural masterpiece, and some of us will return in the
evening for Puccini’s Madama Butterfly - one of the most performed operas in the history of
this very European multimedia art form.
Hotel Park
Cankarjeva cesta 15,
4260 Bled, Slovenia
+386 4 579 18 00
BLED
Bled was the favourite vacation spot of many a Yugoslavian back when Tito’s League of
Communists ruled much of the Balkan Peninsula. Since the war of independence in 1991,
Slovenia has developed closer ties to the Western European community, eventually joining
the EU in 2007. With our friendly local expert Robert as our guide, we will delve into the
medieval and more recent history of this gem of the Julian Alps today.
THE LAGOON
With an all day water bus pass in hand, your group will be spending the day island hopping.
From the cemeteries of San Michelle, to the glass blowers of Murano, to the pastel village of
Burano, to the oldest church in Venice on Torcello - this will be a day to remember!
FLORENCE
The birthplace of the Renaissance, and therefore the modern world, Florence was the one
time capital of a financial empire controlled by the original Italian “family”, the Medicis.
FLORENCE
Enjoy a walking tour of the Renaissance today, with a featured visit to the Accademia to
see Michelangelo’s masterpiece - the David. In the afternoon, try out your bartering skills
at the leather market!
SIENA
The ultimate Tuscan hill-town - Siena was once a city state in its own right, until those
bullies from Florence took it over and destroyed the economy. Lucky us though - the
Sienese had to leave their big Renaissance building projects unfinished, and we get to
explore a very authentically medieval Italian town, and climb the very medieval, structurally
unsound tower that was tacked onto city hall in 1338.
PISA
Climb the tower before it falls! Hopefully.
CINQUE TERRE
Rain or shine, the paths linking these five (cinque) lands (terre) along the Mediterranean coast
offer a different perspective on hiking. Italian biology students often visit this region to study
the unique plant life. And for us, passing through olive groves and lemon orchards, we know
we’re not in BC anymore. The Cinque Terre is in Liguria, the birthplace of pesto. Mmmm...
pesto. The five towns that make up the stopping points along the route are all ancient
Roman fishing villages, and many of the residents can trace their ancestry in the region back
centuries. Devastating floods in October 2011 brought life in Vernazza and Monterosso to a
standstill - months of hard work digging out and rebuilding have made them accessible to
visitors again.
PARMA
Off the tourist map for many visitors to Italy, Parma is a real working city more famous for
its agricultural exports (Parma ham, Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar) then its art and
architecture. But don’t be fooled - the rugged exterior of the Parma cathedral belies its
grand interior - painted from floor to ceiling with wondrous biblical scenes. And its baptistry
is perhaps the most beautiful in all of Italy.
MILAN
It’s the start of the Easter long weekend... the busiest travel time in Europe, especially
in Italy. There will be a lot of people out today! We’re going to church - specifically
the 5th largest church in the world - the Milano Duomo. This architectural wonder,
done in the style “flamboyant” (means “flame-like”) Gothic, only took 600 years to
build. With 3500 statues and a roof you can walk around on, it’s a definite highlight of
Northern Italy. We’ll be exploring the whole thing, top to bottom!