In May of 2019, Dr. Jean-Pierre Lalande, professor of French at Moravian College, will be offering a course in Europe for the thirty-third time.

Students will visit the very popular and historic cities of Venice, Salzburg, Munich, Paris and Berlin at a cost of about $3,200.  

“The theme of the course focuses on the relationships between some well-known styles of architecture and the political regimes that created them,” said Lalande. “The five cities I have chosen make for an easy and interesting understanding of such interaction between architecture and politics.”   

A few of the landmarks that students can expect to see on the trip include the Doge Palace and San Marco Basilica in Venice, the medieval fortress in Salzburg, the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the remnants of the Wall in Berlin.

“By late afternoon, when we are done with our program, I also encourage my students to personalize their trip by exploring the town with a couple of friends, within the limit of reasonable safety,” said Lalande. “In Venice, for example, I tell them to venture away from all the tourist attractions and not be afraid to get lost. The city is not large and they will always find their way back to the hotel.”

Anne Reid, associate vice president for finance at Moravian, has assisted Lalande on the trip for the last three years.

“Most of the time, I’m dealing with numbers and spreadsheets,” said Reid. “[This trip] helps me remember why I’m doing all of that. I have also gotten to know so many students, and it’s just wonderful.”

To see all the sites on the itinerary, students find they end up doing a lot of walking.

“If you want to get in shape, this is the trip for you,” Reid says. “We probably walk a minimum of eight to ten miles a day. There is so much to see, and you do not always realize it until you sit down at the end of the day.”

Students who are interested in participating in the May 2020 trip should email Reid at [email protected] or Lalande at [email protected]