Sacred Spaces,

Splendid Places

London & Paris

Trinity Western UniversityAlumni+ Tour

May 22 - June 3, 2016

Alumni+ // Alumni, parents, staff, faculty, community

Tour Highlights

Meet your hosts

Join hosts Dr. David and Colette Squires for 13 days in London and Paris, exploring the arts, culture and worship life of these vibrant world-class cities. Encounter the Holy in sacred spaces such as London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, and Paris’ Sainte-Chappelle and the Basilica Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. Feast on the arts in the world’s great theatres, opera houses, museums and galleries.

• a day at Windsor Castle• a day touring two French chateaux south

of Paris• three shows in London’s West End• the Chunnel train from London to Paris• the Eiffel Tower at night• choral Evensong service at Westminster

Abbey• famous churches, museums and sights• an evening dinner cruise on the Seine in

Paris• 4 lectures on London and Paris arts,

culture, and spirituality

Cost

$4965* +flight• rate is based on double occupancy

(double bed or 2 twin beds)• 2 singles as travelling partners may share

a room with twin beds at the normal rate above

• single supplement is $1950, and applies to those travelling without a travel partner who wish a single room

*Early bird rate if paid in full by Jan 15. Full price is $5265 (deadline Feb 15).$500 deposit per person due Dec 15.

• David and Colette Squires have four children and seven grandchildren, and they are passionate about travel, culture, faith, and the arts

• they both have deep family roots in the UK, and together they have led numerous trips to the sacred spaces and splendid places of the UK and France

• David is Dean of the School of the Arts, Media + Culture at Trinity Western University

• Colette is an organizational consultant, researcher, mediator, and instructor

• they love sharing some of their favourite haunts with others, and discovering new ones as well

Sacred Spaces, Splendid Places

Day 2

London

Day 1

Arrive in London

Our journey begins when you arrive in London and check in to the Citadines Holborn-Covent Garden. We will meet as a group at Trafalgar Square at 6:00 pm, and enjoy a welcome dinner in a British pub.

The morning of our first full day begins “in class”, with an introduction to the riches of London’s cultural, artistic, and spiritual heritage. Then we set off to explore two of the most famous of this city’s icons: St. Paul’s Cathedral and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

Christopher Wren’s stunning 17th century masterpiece, St. Paul’s is a wonderful place to start considering sacred spaces. You will be in awe of its majestic splendour, from the mosaics and stained glass to the pillars, arches and dome. Save your secrets for the famous Whispering Gallery, then look out over London from high atop the Stone Gallery.

North American flights to England leave Saturday and arrive Sunday. Flights should be arranged to arrive at either Heathrow Airport (LHR) or Gatwick Airport (LGW), sometime from mid-morning to early afternoon. This will allow time for the convenient train connection from either airport to central London. Details on these connections will be made available.

Then we head across the Millenium Bridge to the Southbank, wandering through the food stalls and shops of the Borough Market. The afternoon winds up with a tour of the Globe Theatre and one of Shakespeare’s plays after dinner.

Trafalgar Square + Big Ben

Tower Bridge

St. Paul’s Cathedral + the Millenium Bridge

Day 3

Day 4

London

Excursion to Windsor

We start with another talk about London, this time focusing on how its stories are told, through museums, castles, churches, and memorials.

The morning is spent in the National Gallery, one of the world’s preeminent art galleries, housing masterworks from the Middle Ages to the Impressionists. From Trafalgar Square we stroll down Whitehall, past Downing Street, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, to Westminster Abbey, historic setting for the coronation of monarchs including Queen Elizabeth II, and more recently the wedding of Prince William and Kate. With its tombs and memorials, this glorious work of medieval architecture has been described as “half national church, half national museum.” Imagine the stories you will uncover there! Our afternoon finishes in the abbey with a choral service of Evensong.

We leave from Paddington Station for the short ride to Windsor. One of Her Majesty the Queen’s working residences, the impressive Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world! Visit the State Apartments, the Drawings Gallery, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, and St George’s Chapel. We’ll wander out to the cobblestone streets for an afternoon meal at the historic Carpenter’s Arms pub on Market Street.

The train returns us to London’s famous West End to see one of the hit musicals.

National Gallery

Windsor Castle

West End

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

Day 5

Day 6

London

London

Today we explore the riches of the British Museum, whose vast store of historical and cultural artifacts includes such wonders as the Rosetta Stone, the colossal statue of Amenhotep III, the 12th century Lewis chessmen from the Outer Hebrides, a 1.2 million year old handaxe from late Paleolithic Africa… the list goes on!

After lunch at a nearby Turkish restaurant we head for the market, stylish shops, and street entertainers of Covent Garden. The afternoon schedule is flexible, allowing lots of free time to enjoy the heart of one of London’s liveliest districts.

Our last full day in London is a free day—opportunities abound, depending on your travel preference: • check for half-price show tickets in

Leicester Square• changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace• shop at Harrod’s, along Oxford St, in Soho,

the Camden Market, Notting Hill, or one of the many street markets

• see London from the above at the London Eye or the Shard

• Madame Tussaud’s or the Tower of London• hang out in a park, rent a bike (or a horse!)• plan a day trip out of the city (by bus or rail)

In the evening we once again head out into the West End for another theatre production.

Top: British Museum / Above: London Eye

Buckingham Palace

Covent Garden market

Day 7 Day 8

Travel to Paris Paris

We check out of our London hotel and head for St. Pancras International train station, where we board our train through the Chunnel (under the English Channel) for Paris. We’ll check into our Paris hotel—the Citadines Bastille Marais—by mid afternoon, leaving us the rest of the day to head out into this romantic city. We’ll see the Place de la Concorde, walk the Champs-Élysées, and (weather permitting) ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset—we’ll see why they call this the City of Lights!

Our first full day in Paris begins “in class” again, with a short introduction to the arts and cultural history of this amazing city.

It’s Sunday, so we’re off to church…in French! This is a bit of a musical treat, really: St. Sulpice, the neoclassical 18th century church in the Luxembourg Quarter, boasts one of the largest pipe organs in Europe—such luminaries as Charles-Marie Widor have been church organist here. After each Sunday mass there is a half-hour organ recital.

If the weather isn’t clear, it’s off to the Stravinsky Fountain and the modern art of the unique Pompidou Centre instead, ascending the Eiffel Tower on another night. The Paris itinerary from here on is somewhat tentative, as a few events depend on good weather. We’ll see the Eiffel Tower on a clear night, and apart from that most evenings are free for you to explore, shop, and enjoy the cafés.

The afternoon is spent at the Louvre, one of the most important art collections in the world. After a guided tour featuring numerous “highlights”—from Winged Victory to the Venus de Milo, The Raft of the Medusa to the Mona Lisa—you’ll have plenty of time to explore the many galleries of this former royal palace.

Arc de TriompheÉglise St. Sulpice

Paris at night

The evening is yours to indulge in the famous French café culture!

Day 9

Day 10

Paris

Paris

We spend today on the Left Bank—la Rive Gauche—the Paris of artists, writers, and philosophers of days gone by. Today will be mostly unstructured, apart from lunch. The Latin Quarter, St. Germain-des-Pres, and the Invalides/Eiffel Tower Quarter are rich with everything from shopping to museums to more of Paris’ splendid places! The morning and afternoon are yours to explore this area on foot or by the Metro (Paris’ excellent subway system). If the weather is nice, we’ll all meet for a picnic lunch among the fountains and palm trees of the Jardins de Luxembourg, just south of where we were yesterday at Église St. Sulpice.

Once again, you have a free evening in one of the world’s most romantic cities!

In our last morning class, we’ll examine the relationship between Catholic spirituality and architecture. Then we will visit two stunning but quite different churches, within two blocks of each other on the Ile de la Cite, at the heart of Paris. The Cathedral of Notre Dame is a Gothic masterpiece, from its flying buttresses at the east end to the massive towers which dominate the West Front. Built during the same period, but very

different indeed, is the ethereal and magical Sainte-Chapelle. Be transported by this fascinating two-tiered structure—a lower chapel for the commoners and an upper chapel for the king—with its richly painted columns and ceiling, and kaleidoscopic stained glass telling the story from Genesis to Revelation.

“Pick a museum” in the afternoon! Our Paris Museum Passes grant admission to more museums than we will have been able to

Les Deux Magots, Boulevard Saint-Germain

Cathedral of Notre Dame

Louvre

Day 11

Excursion to French chateauxToday we enjoy a bus tour of two magnificent French chateaux just outside of Paris. Built by Louis XIV’s finance minister, Vaux le Vicomte is considered the pinnacle of 17th century elegance, and was the model for Louis’ later/larger Palace of Versailles.

visit, so this is your chance to catch one or two of your choice: Musée Picasso in the Marais Quarter is very well curated; Rodin’s impressive sculptures (including The Thinker and The Kiss) are in the Invalides and Eiffel Tower Quarter, as is the Dôme Church and Napoleon’s Tomb. Just northeast from there, along the left bank of the Seine, the Musée d’Orsay has the world’s largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces; while heading east to the Latin Quarter brings you to the Panthéon, the magnificent classical church completed just as the French Revolution was getting underway.

Finish the day with another relaxed, free Paris evening.

We’ll find things less crowded here, giving opportunity to appreciate the splendour, intimacy, and proportion both inside the walls and outside in the landscaped gardens so typical of the period.

Vaux le Vicomte

Vaux le Vicomte

Sainte-Chapelle

Venus de Milo, the Louvre

Then we continue on to the exceptional Fontainebleau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Begun in the 12th century, Fontainebleau was continuously inhabited by royalty for seven centuries, and gradually expanded to its current magnificent state. Important in the life of so many French monarchs over the centuries, this was also the site of Napoleon’s famous farewell speech to his troops before going into exile on Elba.

Day 12

Day 13

Paris

Paris

Our final day in Paris begins with morning and lunch in Montmartre, home to the bohemian revolution in the arts and culture

We check out of the hotel and say goodbye! Some will fly home, others will continue travelling on their own. And we’ll all carry new memories of two great cities and their wonderfully rich cultures—and perhaps some new friendships as well.

Au revoir!

of the late 1800’s. We’ll tour the towering, white Basilica Sacre Coeur—visible from many parts of the city—and explore the shops and cafes around the Place du Tertre, the cobbled courtyard now alive with local artists.

The afternoon is free for last-minute shopping or sightseeing (and packing), and then we head back to the heart of this most romantic city for a farewell evening dinner cruise on the River Seine.

Basilica Sacre Coeur

River Seine

Fontainebleau

What’s included

What’s not included

Some FAQ’s

• all accommodation: » 6 nights in London (Citadines

Holborn-Covent Garden) » 6 nights in Paris (Citadines Bastille

Marais)• all ground transportation in both cities • Travelcard for London Underground

(subway) and buses• all tickets for Paris Metro (subway) and

buses• return train to Windsor (day 4)• one-way train from London to Paris (day 7)• bus tour to French chateaux (day 11)• welcome dinner in London on day 1 • farewell dinner and river cruise in Paris

on day 12• tickets for three evening theatre

productions in London• all admissions for planned itinerary in

London and Paris (museums, galleries, churches, sites, tours, etc)

• daily meals apart from the 2 special group dinners above (note: all hotel rooms have kitchens, and there are

why do I take a course? what does this mean/cost? is it for university students?

• this tour is not for undergraduate university students but for the life-long learner

• there will be 4 lectures on London and Paris arts, culture, and spirituality

• everyone registers as an audit student and the fee is built into the total cost of the trip: $2226 TWU audit fee + $3039 travel fee = $5265 total ($4965 if you register by Jan 15)

• a tuition tax receipt is available for the $2226 audit fee portion (this gives you a tax break, effectively lowering the net cost of the trip!)

why is flight extra?

• this is to allow for flexibility for you, the traveller

• if we all travelled together, we would add

ACCOMMODATIONS

Citadines Holborn-Covent Garden (London) » 1 block from an Underground station, right on

the edge of the theatre districtCitadines Bastille Marais (Paris) » short walk from 3 different Metro stations,

near the historic Place de la Bastille » all hotel rooms have kitchens!

grocery stores nearby – eat out, eat in, or pack a lunch!)

• personal activities on the London free day (day 6)

• all shopping, of course!

the cost of flights to the trip, but this way people can fly from wherever they live (not necessarily Vancouver)

• the tour begins on the ground in London on May 22, and ends when we check out of the hotel in Paris June 3 – this allows for flexibility:

» some participants may want some personal travel on their own in Europe before or after the tour itself

» participants may fly from the international airport closest to where they live

• the bottom line is: you can get to and from London/Paris how and when you choose, and from wherever you live – we will meet up in London and be together for 13 days

why a single supplement?

• the tour cost is based on 2 people sharing a room, either in a double bed or 2 twins

• 2 singles as travelling partners may share a room with twin beds at the normal rate

• a single person wanting sole occupancy of a room would pay the single supplement

• single supplement is $1950, and applies to those travelling without a travel partner and who prefer private accommodation

will there be a lot of walking? how strenuous is the trip?

• both cities have excellent transit systems

• both cities are largely walkable as well, and we will be doing lots of it

• museums can involve a lot of walking as well

• participants with limited mobility may find the trip too strenuous

what about currency? weather? electricity? I have LOTS more questions!

• and we have lots more answers and helpful information

• once you’ve signed up for the tour we’ll roll out more information

• meantime, any other questions can be sent to Dave at his email: david.squires@twu.ca

Big Ben

British Museum

twu.ca/samc

twu.ca/alumni-plus-tour