Culture   

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For centuries, Korean rulers have felt threatened by the more powerful forces surrounding them – China, Russia, Japan, and western colonial powers. In response, they sought to isolate their subjects from most foreign influences. The Korean people were encouraged, or obliged, to go their separate ways. In 1989, John Stewart spent six months in South Korea at a time when this half of the peninsula was recovering from a painful war and emerging from its ‘Hermit Kingdom’ cocoon into the modern world. In this presentation, John will describe some of what he saw as the more surprising, interesting, endearing, and frustrating aspects of life in this unusual country.

John A. Stewart is a retired software developer with degrees in biology from the University of Michigan. He enjoys self-guided travel to out-of-the-way places.

Z  Online Class:  A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before class begins.

Since the dawn of time, navigation across the Northern Seas has linked many countries. During the 14^th century, merchant guilds from 16 countries around the Baltic Sea allied to open new harbors, create trading monopolies, develop international maritime laws, support each other, and fend off pirates. Known as the Hanseatic League, this collaboration effectively controlled northern Europe’s commerce and culture for 400 years. The League disseminated Norse mythologies, facilitated beautiful architecture and urban characteristics, and shared the Protestant faith and work ethic. These alliances created a wealthy merchant class, and their cultural impact is still with us today in the paintings of Hans Holbein and Edward Munch, the music of Edvard Grieg, Jan Sibelius and Frederic Chopin, the writings of Thomas Mann, and in Hanseatic museum collections. Over time, the League’s member cities ranged from 70 to 186. We will visit several of these cities, including Visby, Hamburg, Lübeck, Bergen, Bruges, and Gdansk.  

Gerlinda Melchiori holds advanced degrees in business, history and higher education management. She has served as international consultant to universities around the world.

Z  Online Class:  A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before class begins.

Join us on a slide show travel adventure to Israel and Egypt, hosted by George Jabol. Our journey starts in the Old City section of Jerusalem, where we will visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western (Wailing) Wall, the Temple Mount, the Mount of Olives, and other religious sites. We will travel to Nazareth and then to Yad Vashem, which honors the memory of victims of the Holocaust. Our trip to Israel concludes with visits to Masada and the Dead Sea. Our Egypt itinerary begins with a tour of the Cairo Museum, followed by an excursion to Giza to see the pyramids. A side trip to Alexandria highlights its new library, built in 2002. In Luxor we will visit the Luxor Temple and the enormous Temple of Karnak. We will then board a Nile River cruise ship and go to places like Abydos, Dendera, and the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. Our adventure will conclude with a flight to southernmost Egypt to visit a monumental temple called Abu Simbel.  

George Jabol received his B.A. degree from Ohio’s Muskingum University, and a Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Michigan. Fully retired now from a career with the federal government, George creates photographic slide shows as a way to remember his travels and share them with others. 

Z  Online Class:  A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before each session begins.

Back by popular demand, we continue with more fascinating documentaries of UNESCO World Heritage Sites across the world. Starting in 1972, UNESCO has designated as World Heritage Sites more than a thousand locations valued for their outstanding cultural and/or natural significance to humanity. The sites include archaeological excavations, masterpieces of religious or secular architecture, monumental sculpture, and painting. Many sites also represent the earth’s most magnificent features of physical and biological formation. This class, adopted from The Great Courses series, features lectures by Justin M. Jacobs of American University, and breathtaking visuals from six of the most outstanding World Heritage Sites. We invite and encourage a lively discussion of the selected sites.  

September 15:      Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
                             The Taj Mahal of Agra (India)
                             Angkor Wat, the Great Khmer Temple (Cambodia)

September 22:     Teotihuacan, the Largest City of Mesoamerica (Mexico)
                             Timbuktu, Islam’s Center by the Sahara (Mali)
                             Persepolis, the Great Persian Capital (Iran)

Toby Teorey is the current Vice-Chair of the Elderwise Council. He is retired from the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan, and in retirement pursues his enduring love of world history, music, and culture.