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.