Location: Prague, with day-trips to other towns
Adventure Dates: September 10-October 3, 2023 (including travel days)
Group Leaders: Prof. John Black, Constance Kovalenka, Bela Hermanek
Adventures in Mind is VIU's educational travel program for the community. It will appeal to life-long learners who are inquisitive, open-minded and looking beyond the usual tourist experience. It is open to free spirits of all ages: a level of physical and mental fitness is highly advisable; curiosity and a sense of community are essential!
Join us in Prague to discover one among the most fascinating national cultures of Central Europe. The city and the Czech lands around it witnessed tremendous changes from the religious wars of the late Renaissance, through the domination of the Hapsburg Empire and the emergence of a nationalist movement in the 19th century, to 20th-century periods of occupation and independence.
Prague today is a cosmopolitan city whose historic buildings and streets echo with the voices of astronomers Brahe and Kepler, composers Dusík, Mozart, Smetana, Dvorák and Janácek, writers Kafka, Rilke, Capek and Kundera, painters Mucha, Schiele and Kokoschka, and playwright and political icon Vaclav Havel.
Our Adventure, involving 10-15 participants, will appeal to those who want an educational component to their travel, but are not interested in university credit. Activities will include visits to buildings, galleries, concerts and other sites of cultural interest, as well as informal seminars in which participants, group leaders and local academics share their understanding of and responses to Czech history and culture.
Apply for the Cultural Czechia 2023 Adventure
Group Leaders
Professor Emeritus Dr. John Black taught Liberal Studies at VIU and co-ordinated the Liberal Studies Abroad credit program from its inception in 1997 until his retirement as Dean of Social Sciences in 2017. He has Master's degrees from Cambridge and Simon Fraser, and a PhD from UBC, all in Philosophy. He has travelled extensively in Europe, and has led many study groups to Italy, England and the Czech Republic. He values Prague in particular because of the encounters possible there with art, architecture, literature and music across seven centuries of history.
Constance Kovalenka is a graduate of the Liberal Studies BA program at VIU, and an equally experienced European traveller. Aside from her strong connection with visual art, having explored both textiles and the juxtaposition of two- and three-dimensional elements in assemblage, she will bring to the Adventure an unerring eye for interesting places to eat, drink, shop, meet cats and hang out.
Bela Hermanek grew up in the former Czechoslovakia, moving in 1968 to Swizerland, where she obtained a degree in Russian Literature and History of Art from the University of Basel. After emigrating to Canada in 1978, she took up a career in education. She has taught piano, ballroom dancing, Slavic languages and Czech culture to community members in Haida Gwaii and the Comox Valley. She is extremely knowledgeable about all things Czech, knows Prague itself intimately, having visited the city many times since the Velvet Revolution of 1990, and is of course fluent in Czech.
Tentative Itinerary
The schedule below is provisional, and will be updated in light of local contingencies as departure approaches. It will however give you a general idea of what to expect. Additional seminar discussions and other activities will be added as required.
Day 0 Leave Canada
Day 1 Arrive Prague - Settle into Accommodation - Grocery Shopping
Day 2 Orientation; Group Lunch - Walk in Historic Centre 1
Day 3 Guest Lecture on Czech History; Vysehrad - St. Martin's Rotunda
Day 4 Belvedere - Prague Castle: St. George's Basilica, St. Vitus' Cathedral - Bila Hora
Day 5 Guest Lecture on Czech Religious History; Walk in the Historic Centre 2
Day 6 Day Trip to Karlstejn Castle
Day 7 Free Day
Day 8 Free Morning - Church of St. Mikulase - Petrín Park
Day 9 St. Agnes' Convent
Day 10 Sternberg and Schwarzenberg Palaces (Art Galleries)
Day 11 Day Trip to Hluboka (Castle and Sculpture Gallery)
Day 12 Music Seminar - Smetana Museum
Day 13 Free Day
Day 14 Free Day
Day 15 Music Seminar - Municipal House
Day 16 Trades Fair Palace (Gallery of Modern Art)
Day 17 Seminar on Karel Capek; Kampa Island, Park and Gallery
Day 18 Day Trip TBD
Day 19 Lecture/Seminar on Franz Kafka; Kafka Museum
Day 20 Free Day
Day 21 River Trip to Troja Castle; Final Dinner
Day 22 Free Day
Day 23 Leave Prague
The Adventure will begin with a number of optional preparatory sessions in Nanaimo before departure. These will provide background on the themes of the program and an opportunity to get to know your colleagues.
Inclusive Packages
Package costs include tuition fees, accommodation, all program-related travel within Czechia, tourist guides, educational materials, and admissions to cultural sites and events. Participants must arrange their own air travel to Prague and have adequate travel insurance, including medical. Food is not included, but accommodation is in apartments which have kitchens, so that food costs are minimal.
Adventures in Mind is a not-for-profit initiative of Vancouver Island University: all effort is made to keep costs as low as possible. Payments are refundable only in case of cancellation by VIU.
Program Fee: $4995
Shared Accommodation (Apartment for 3-4 people, with living room, kitchen and bathroom(s); share a bedroom with one other person): included in program fee.
Single Supplement: up to $1500, TBD
Private One-Bedroom Apartments (for one or two) may possibly be available: cost TBD.
Payment Schedule
In order to allow us to make a decision to proceed with the Adventure, which depends upon enrolment, and to make bookings, it is essential that we are able to cover our overheads well in advance of leaving Canada. The following payment schedule is therefore necessary:
- Within two weeks of notification of admission: commitment fee of $500.
- Due February 15, 2023: booking deposit of $2000.
- Due April 15, 2023: payment of remaining balance.
Provided you are accepted into Adventures in Mind, all payments are non-refundable, except in case of cancellation of the Adventure by Vancouver Island University.
Air Travel
Participants must arrange their own air travel, but should not do so until they receive official word (probably in April 2023) that the Adventure will proceed. Before departure you will be given instructions on what to do on arrival in Prague.
Insurance
ALL participants under the age of 70 are required to join Vancouver Island University's mandatory comprehensive group plan (guard.me): for details please see VIU Education Abroad Insurance (be sure to read the embedded text, especially "Some things to remember" - but see also the qualification in bold below*). Because it is a group plan the rates are reasonable, and the coverage is excellent.
Those under 65 can purchase the insurance online through the "Buy Now" link on the above page. Those aged 65-69 should instead email admindept@guard.me for an application form. Mention that you are seeking insurance under the VIU plan. Payment by Visa or MasterCard will be required.
Those 70 or over are not eligible for this plan, but must have comparable coverage from a provider of their choice for the duration of the Adventure; before departure you must provide program personnel with proof of coverage.
In addition, you are strongly advised (but not required) to obtain coverage for trip interruption and cancellation; this is available through guard.me for those aged below 70, or may be purchased from a different provider.
Please do not buy any insurance until the Adventure has been confirmed by VIU.
Please note too that at the time of writing the details on the Education Abroad webpage pertaining to those over 65 are out-of-date. The details above are correct.
For medical, safety and other advice on travelling overseas, please visit the Canadian federal government website.
Passports and Visas
A passport valid until three months after the intended date of departure is required to enter Czechia as a visitor. Canadian passport-holders do not require a visa for stays up to 90 days. On arrival at Czech Immigration, you may be asked to show your return ticket and proof of sufficient funds to support your stay: a recent bank statement and credit cards might be useful. Non-Canadians, depending on nationality, may need a visitor's visa. For details, please consult the Czech Embassy in Ottawa.
Important Notice
A level of physical and medical fitness is required to get the most out of the Adventure. Some of the sites visited are accessible only on foot (some may not be wheelchair-accessible), and some visits may require lengthy periods of walking and standing. On arrival and departure you will have to carry your own luggage. If you have any limitations or concerns in this area, please consult Adventures in Mind personnel before applying.
Admission Process
To discuss your interest in the 2023 Adventure please email AdventuresInMind@viu.ca.
Apply for the Cultural Czechia 2023 Adventure
Adventures in Mind is a VIU program and a student record will be created for you if you don’t already have one.
You will be notified by mail when you are accepted into the Adventures in Mind program.
A $500 commitment fee will be payable within 2 weeks of your acceptance. Full details on next steps, including how to pay the commitment fee, will be included in your Letter of Acceptance.