Well, looking back on this class in England and at Harlaxton has been wonderful.  The location was perfect for studying the topic of international tourism.  Students traveled all over England and Europe to compliment perfectly the topics we discussed and the theories we examined over the course of the five week period.

I would definitely recommend to students that they strongly consider taking a summer class or a whole semester at Harlaxton.  It is a wonderful experience.  If anyone has questions, please contact me at knelson@western.edu. 

Here's to a future class in England!

Well, the trip to London was fantastic, as you might expect.  We did have a slight hiccup in our travels as one student missed the shuttle from the manor.  We barely made the train as we waited a little bit for her.  It was quite the learning experience as she had to figure out her way from the manor to the train station and then on to Kings Cross.  She arrived about 40 minutes after we did and we were on our way.  It turned out ok as several of the students waited in line to have their picture taken at Platform 9 3/4 (Harry Potter fans know about this famous platform).  Picture of Platform 9 3/4 below.

We took the "Big Bus" tour around London and saw many of the wonderful sites that London has to offer.  This was a really cursory visit as we didn't have a ton of time to see, in detail, everything that London has to offer.  It would take several days to make your way around London and see anything even close to what is offered.  It is a beautiful, old city and we loved seeing the new buildings introduced into some areas around town.  There are also a couple of pictures below of some of the sights.

The next two days of class were spent going over material related to the sociology and economics of tourism.  These are quite fascinating topics and that much more so after being tourists ourselves in London.

On Wednesday some of the class went to Sherwood Forest.  I have a picture or two there as well.  It was a beautiful forest with some trees as old as 1000 years.  They were beautiful, gnarly old oaks and you could just see the people from Robin Hood's time out and about.  Today, Thursday, was a day off for the students given that we had travelled so much.  Honestly, they needed a day off before they took off on travels again.  This weekend students are heading to destinations such as Scotland, Ireland, Norway, and Spain.

Next week is a quick one and not much fun. :)   We have regular class on Monday and Tuesday and then the final exam on Wednesday.  I can't believe it is almost over.  Some students will then head out on a school sponsored trip to Paris for a few days while others will travel independently all over Europe.  It will be great fun.

Well, pretty cool that they have the suitcase, cage, and trolley set up to appear
like it is part way through the wall.

Big Ben (the clock) on top of Elizabeth Tower along with the Parliament Building.

Piccadilly Circus (circus in this situation is from circle and you can see
 the rounded buildings.

One of the big oak trees in Sherwood Forest.  My wife is standing in front of the tree...she is 6'2".

The "Major Oak" which is believe to be over 1000 years old.  Wouldn't have been
this "major" in the times of Robin Hood, but they likely had a tree or some meeting
place within the forest.

Tuesday this week was the mid-term exam...what?  I can't believe we are halfway through.  It will fly from here on out.  Wednesday we didn't have regular class, but rather took a field trip to the birthplace and homestead of Sir Isaac Newton.  It was relatively small, but his home is still there (with some refurbishment) and some other buildings.  They also provide some science education along with the expected tours and historical information.  It was pretty neat.  I will include some pictures below. 

As we talked about this, related to tourism, it was interesting to note the various places that would be of interest to different age groups.  There was a kids center where they could do things that were related to science.  There were also "experiments" that could be of interest to people of all ages.

Thursday we talked about the psychology of tourism.  Why do people travel and see what they see?  Many of the students are gone this weekend on extended trips.  We have students from the class who are in Iceland, London, Ireland, Brussels, etc.  We even took a day back in York so I could show my wife around (she loved it, too).  We will talk more next week about why the students chose those specific locations.  There are lots of relatively inexpensive places to visit in Europe.  Why did they chose the countries listed above.  It will be interesting to hear their thoughts.

No regular class on Monday as we travel to London.  Stay tuned for more pictures and dialogue about that great city.

Some of the class outside of the home.

The famous apple tree.  And no, it wasn't an apple hitting Newton on the head
that got him thinking more about gravity.

Most of the Western group outside the entrance to the property.

And another quick one to note that our other three students gave their destination presentations today.  We heard about the following:

• Austria
• Iceland
• Norway

I am partial to the last one listed as I spent two years in Norway and will head there (with my good wife) when our time at Harlaxton is complete.

Tomorrow is the midterm exam...wow, are we about halfway through already?

Well, the weekend was wonderful and full of adventure.  Friday was the trip to York (my personal favorite), Saturday we journeyed to Cambridge, and Sunday we again rode a bus but this time to Lincoln.  All three are beautiful, old cities that were very enjoyable.

York was the furthest away and we spent two hours on the bus going and returning.  The countryside is nice and green with a church steeple almost everywhere you look.  The cathedrals in all of these town are spectacular and beautiful.  They are so very old and wonderful.  One of the best places is a walking street called the "Shambles."  This is an obsolete term for an open air slaughterhouse and meat market.  It's not used for that anymore, but it is very neat.  It will remind some of the depictions of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.

Next was Cambridge.  There are 31 colleges that make up the University of Cambridge.  The school recently celebrated its 800 year anniversary...amazing.  Unfortunately, many of the main colleges we wanted to see were closed to the public because students are taking exams.  Cambridge was also the city of bikes.  Wow, I've never seen so many.  And you had to watch where they were or it could be pretty easy to get hit.  The just ding their bells and keep going.  Another interesting part of the area around Cambridge was a WWII cemetery that we visited before heading into the town itself.  It is the only WWII American cemetery in Great Britain.  Over 3000 men/women are buried there and there is also a wall of missing Americans that numbers over 5000.  A sobering sight.

Finally, was Lincoln.  This town is a bit closer and the cathedral and remains of the castle are pretty neat.  They also had a 1940s festival going on and people were dressed in clothes of that age.  It was very fun. 

It was amazing to all of us the number of people who were out and about in all of these cities.  It wasn't so surprising for Cambridge and Lincoln (since it was the weekend), but York was very busy with lots of people just hanging out, shopping, and walking around.  It made me wonder if people work.  ;)

Well, here are some pictures.  I hope you enjoy.

YORK

One of the gates to the city.  You can walk along the wall by going
up the steps on the right.

This is Diagon Alley...I mean the Shambles.

A view of the cathedral over the homes and cobblestone street.

CAMBRIDGE

Entrance to the cemetery
 



One of the angles down the rows.

 

They call these little boats "punts."  It was amusing to watch people try to drive the punts while watching the guides who had some experience wind their way through the maze.

Much of the group around the circle church in Cambridge

 

LINCOLN

 

The cathedral.  Grand!

Maybe the largest stain glass window I've ever seen. Very intricate.

Inside the castle walls.

 

Today nine of the 12 students gave what I call their "destination presentations."  The other three will go on Monday.  These presentations are regarding countries that the students may interested in visiting.  Some of the students will actually travel to these countries before they head back to the United States.  We learned about the following countries or areas today:

• The Caribbean
• Ireland
• Italy
• Germany
• Mexico
• Nepal
• Poland
• Scotland
• Spain

I love the excitement regarding the countries and learning about the various things that the students felt were important.  We learned about population, culture, tourism statistics, and most popular places to visit.  We are set if/when we are able to visit these countries.

Most of the students in the class will be visiting York, Cambridge, and Lincoln (not Nebraska) over the next three days.  One student is on her way to Spain (Barcelona).  It will be very interesting to talk about our experiences come Monday morning.  Safe travels, everyone!

Many pictures to come over the weekend or early next week.

Many of the students stay in the carriage house, picture below, while most of the faculty stay on the third floor, or blue floor, of the manor.  I travel up 68 steps to get to my floor from the main floor of the manor.  I think my legs are getting stronger.  I have a picture of the carriage house below.  I am also posting a picture of our classroom.  Doesn't get any better than this!

 

 

 

 



Well, today was the scavenger hunt in the village of Harlaxton.  It is a quaint little village.  I will include pictures below.  We started at the cemetery that is on the same property as the church.  This is very common in many areas in England.  Students had to find various houses, structures, statues, etc., in Harlaxton and take pictures of them.  Finally, they had to find a tombstone in the cemetery that had a date prior to 1800.  It isn't that difficult.  Although, some of the older stones are unreadable. 

When the students came back we talked about the aspects of tourism that might motivate someone to come to a place like Harlaxton.  The culture of a small town, the local architecture which dates back hundreds of years, genealogy, visiting family and friends, etc., could be reasons why someone might choose to come to this area and visit this small and beautiful town.

Below are some pictures from the village.  The walk is a short one and it is very beautiful.

At the church/cemetery where we started

 

 



 

This is actually inside the church.  These individuals died 270 years ago.

 

Beautiful stained glass.

 

 

The church from back to front.  Stunning.

 

A very unique grave marker.  Falling apart a bit.  It was from the mid 1800s.

 

From next to the church looking up at the steeple.

 

Our dog friend that came back multiple times to say hi and receive some affection.

Another beautiful stained glass window.

 

Just a beautiful, old home.

 

Vines growing all over this house.

 

Entrance to the old manor.

Local "porch house."

Today was spent talking about accommodations, food & beverage, meetings & conventions, and intermediaries who help us travel and be tourists.  It was interesting to talk about all of the various places that people stay when they travel.  All from tents, to hostels, to the finest hotels around the world.  There are many bed and breakfast places around the world and the web has helped us be in touch with those people.  For example, on a trip after our time at Harlaxton, my wife and I will be traveling to Norway.  We used a website call airbnb.com to find places to stay and to pay the hosts.  We will be staying in B&B's in both Bergen and Tønsberg.  The experience, to this point, has been great and easy. 

Some interesting information regarding food & beverage.  McDonalds holds the top spot for gross revenue for fast food chains in the U.S.  It takes the next four chains combined to make the same revenue as the golden arches.  It was also interesting to look at the top independent restaurants in the U.S. to see which of the students had eaten at the top 100.  A few had found their way to these restaurants and they said they enjoyed them.

Some of the students, about half, went on the trip to London over the weekend.  It was interesting to speak with them about their experiences related to lodging and food.  All had a good time and many found that food was a bit expensive.  However, a few found some pretty good deals at some of the smaller restaurants.

Tomorrow is a walking tour and scavenger hunt in Harlaxton Village.  I will post pictures tomorrow of our quaint little village. 

Today we discussed the travel industry.  Meaning, anything like trains, planes, and automobiles and everything in-between.  The amount of money spent in this industry is amazing and the number of people who travel for tourism purposes is astounding.  And it keeps growing. 

The students did an exercise in class where they had to get themselves from Harlaxton to Pape'ete, Tahiti.  The couldn't just jump on a direct flight from Heathrow to Pape'ete, but rather needed to use multiple forms of transportation.  The trip takes many hours and is not inexpensive, as one might expect.  However, with this in combination with everyone's experience in getting from the States to England, we understand that much more the breadth and depth of the travel industry.

At the end of class today the students took a quiz.  They are getting college credit, after all.  Now it's on to the three day weekend where many students will be on the trip to London.  I'm sure they will come back loving their experiences.

Next week includes greater information regarding lodging, food & beverage services, and various businesses that help provide services for travelers.  In addition, we will travel to some local areas to look at tourism activities.  We will be in Harlaxton Village, Grantham, York, Cambridge, and Lincoln.  It will be an exciting and busy week.

Today was a pretty easy day, for me.  The students presented on their research on a career in the hospitality industry.  Students examined anything from tour guides to airline pilots to property managers to chefs.  It was good information. 

We generally reviewed the remainder of information about careers and organizations in the hospitality industry. 

A highlight of the class today actually had nothing to do with the material.  A couple of fighter planes buzzed the manor while we were in class.  Some of the students saw the planes out the window.  They were very low and very loud. 

Also, after class today we went outside to take a few pictures.  The first is the entire class with students from Western State Colorado University, Marian University, Evansville University, and William Jewell University.

 

 

Next is a picture of just the Western State Colorado University students and then a fun one with everyone jumping (note that some have already landed).  :)

 



Today's class focused on the history of tourism around the globe.  It is very interesting to learn about how roads, inns, restaurants, etc., started out early on in our recorded history.  The book contains a lot of dates regarding this history and talks about the contributions or movements in various parts of the world.  Below is the list of the top innovations and events that led us to where modern tourism is today. 

The students generated the list from the many listed in the book and then we voted to get down to the top six.  These six were then used by students (in groups of two) to design a museum space about each of these areas.  Good discussion was had along with great ideas about how to make the museum space interesting for people of all ages to enjoy learning more about the history of tourism.

Today was our first day of class.  I think we will enjoy each other and the material.  I asked the students to write a few sentences about their first impressions of England, Harlaxton, etc.  These are the responses:

Sarah B - My first impression getting into London was at the airport when we stopped in a restaurant to eat and the waiter told us he really enjoys Americans and our accents.  That was nice to hear, because it is often built up how difficult traveling abroad can be and that many Europeans don't like us.  So far, everyone has been very kind and interesting.  I also like that they call the restrooms, "toilets."

Jennifer G - My first impression of arriving at the airport in London and going to the bus was how much quitter and calmer it appeared than in the States.  On the bus I saw how green it is, and the fields of yellow flowers lining the roads are beautiful.  The houses in the villages we passed give a very homey feel.  The manor is absolutely breathtaking, from the walking paths full of bluebells to the architectural design throughout the house.

Sara C - When getting on the bus, I was so surprised by how gorgeous the countryside was.  Even the areas around the airport were beautiful.  I noticed the size of the cars (not including our bus) were a lot smaller, generally, than those in the states.  The fields we passed on the way here were filled with yellow flowers and green grass.

Thalia G - My first impression of London was the obvious, it's beautiful.  Everything is the polar opposite of the States.  I wouldn't that's a bad thing, but it will take some time to adjust to everything.  Coming from the States to Grantham feels as if I was on an enchanted roller coaster ride.  I must say that the experience at Harlaxton does more than just tickle my fancy.  I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to further their education.

Blake M - My first impression of London was how quickly everything was moving.  Heathrow is one of the largest airports I've ever seen.  I also was amazed at how different the British culture was from American culture.  If an American walks into the airport stores, they may find it difficult to find their favorite soft drink.  It was also strange seeing cars driving on the left side of the road.  Overall, I am very intrigued to see more of the British culture over the next few weeks.

Katie T - My first impression walking out of Heathrow was it didn't feel any different than walking out of an airport in the U.S.  After getting on the coaches, I realized how weird it was they drove on the left ("wrong") side of the road, especially the entrance to the highway.  The first drive through Harlaxton Village up to the manor is where it first started to hit me that I was in a new place and country, before I even stepped through the doors inside...

Sam D - The fields were gorgeous.  They had a lot of colors and there were a lot of hills.  Of course, driving on the other side of the road was weird.  Harlaxton from a distance looked like a medieval castle.  The artwork inside is incredible; there is so much detail and so many stories to them.  I'm surprised how cold it is because back home it is 70 or 80 and here it's about 55-60.

Casey F - The first thing that struck me when arriving in England was how green the landscape is and how well taken care of the homes and streets are.  Harlaxton Manor is even more amazing in person.  The architecture of the manor and the surrounding gardens and countryside are hard to put into words.

Dallas H - My first impression is foreign.  Everything about my experience is foreign in some way, from the food, to the clothes, to the oxygen.  I enjoy experiencing all of these new sensations because I feel as though I am not only broadening my mind but my senses and perceptions as well.  I love seeing how other people live.

Charissa L - When we got into Terminal 3 at Heathrow there were at least 60 people holding signs with names on them.  I've never seen anything like that before.  There were also just little stores everywhere ranging from coffee to cell phones.  ON the bus ride here, there was almost nothing on the sides of the roads.  It was mostly fields and hills with a little house every once in a while.  The landscape looked natural and not like anything I've really seen at home.  Harlaxton has little details everywhere so that every time you look, you see something you didn't see the first time.  It is also different than anything we have at home.  That's why it's so interesting.

Sophia K - I am not sure why, but I just assumed that the appearance of the landscape would be different.  To my surprise, it looked very similar to the rolling hills of Kentucky.  But the feeling that washes over you is filled with history.  The buildings are older, the cities are well established, and things have proven that they can stand their ground.  I have not gotten to explore much outside of Harlaxton just yet and I am curious to see how the locals treat their landmarks and interact with the history surrounding them.

Tyler L - The 1st impression of the manor is amazing.  Every part of the manor is different and eye opening.  The 1st day I spent hours wandering through the halls and up and down the staircases.  I still have yet to see the entire building.  I keep noticing new sighs in rooms I have already been to.  The grounds and the countryside are what surprised me the most.  Everything is green and alive with cool statues and gardens all around.

Our beautiful home for the next few weeks.  We are all a bit tired but working to get used to the time change.  At times, sleep comes readily and at less opportune times, the middle of the night, it can become difficult.  However, we will adjust and enjoy our experiences in this beautiful place.

This blog will document the adventures of seven Western State Colorado University students (and a professor) who will attend Harlaxton College (near Grantham, England) to study tourism.  What a great place to study tourism...in the heart of Europe.


We will post about what we learn and our travels around this historic country and trips to other places in Europe.


Our first picture will be in front of the beautiful castle that is Harlaxton College.  I will then ask students about their travels and first impressions of England and the experience ahead of them.