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The grand tour – this blogger’s brief overview


BBMacLaird
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Dating back to 1660 young individuals with dreams of improving their cultural education, their social connections (what we call ‘networking’ today), as well as their social standing, have been traveling throughout Europe on what’s known as The Grand Tour. While the itinerary varied, the Grand Tour, almost by definition, always included both Venice and Rome...

 

Read more here...http://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/connect-share/blog/grand-tour-bloggers-brief-overview/

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Thanks for the excellent article, Bonnie, it reminded me of much that was important about the Grand Tour.

 

It also recalled the memorable description of a family on the Tour, complete with chaperone, brilliantly presented in Dickens' Little Dorrit. Hard to visit Venice without thinking about that portrayal and feeling their presence.

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The link is working in Safari.

 

Thanks for the excellent article, Bonnie, it reminded me of much that was important about the Grand Tour.

 

It also recalled the memorable description of a family on the Tour, complete with chaperone, brilliantly presented in Dickens' Little Dorrit. Hard to visit Venice without thinking about that portrayal and feeling their presence.

 

I haven't read Little Dorrit but will put it on my list...along with revisiting Venice sometime soon.

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The link is working in Safari.

 

Thanks for the excellent article, Bonnie, it reminded me of much that was important about the Grand Tour.

 

It also recalled the memorable description of a family on the Tour, complete with chaperone, brilliantly presented in Dickens' Little Dorrit. Hard to visit Venice without thinking about that portrayal and feeling their presence.

 

Thanks for the tip on Little Dorrit. We don't have Safari; but interesting time in Venice. The Grand Tour from a ship is full of surprises. We plan to re-visit the big cities and stay awhile.

Alex

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Thanks for the tip on Little Dorrit. We don't have Safari; but interesting time in Venice. The Grand Tour from a ship is full of surprises. We plan to re-visit the big cities and stay awhile.

Alex

 

I must warn you that the typically colorful Dickensian characters that inhabit this novel do not all equally benefit from the Tour.

 

However, isn't that just like our experiences today? Sometimes I, personally, do not fully appreciate the sites and their culture.

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I must warn you that the typically colorful Dickensian characters that inhabit this novel do not all equally benefit from the Tour.

 

However, isn't that just like our experiences today? Sometimes I, personally, do not fully appreciate the sites and their culture.

 

Yes, I agree. And sometimes in these older novels the author uses some very harsh descriptions of the locals and their customs that would not fly in today's world.

For example, Mark Twain's first impressions of the cultures of Europe in 'The Innocents Abroad' is both entertaining and startling to me. But I guess that was how Europe, and South America for that matter, seemed to me when I first started traveling internationally back in 1973. Some was wonderful and some didn't make sense.

That's the beauty of travel and cultural exchange.

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You're welcome. Thanks for writing that you'd read the article.

And I see you're doing a Grand Tour of Italy this September on the Journey! Lucky you! :)

 

 

Yes, we are and I can hardly wait.....just 5 more months. :D Our first cruise was on Azamara and we were both "doubting Thomas's" about cruising. We fell in love with cruising and I'm sure part of that was due to the ACC staff, including Captain Johannes.

I'm hoping Chef Fabio will be on our cruise...is there any way to find out if it will be him again and if Captain Johannes will be our Captain.

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Can't help you with the chef, but if this link works then it should be useful.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=304514&d=1394045637

 

Thank you so much. We do have Captain Johannes on both legs of our cruise. :D :p :) Ryszard is the HD the first week and Heike the second week. Tony is our cruise director. We had Eric the last time. I don't think I've ever seen pictures of Tony.

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I must warn you that the typically colorful Dickensian characters that inhabit this novel do not all equally benefit from the Tour.

 

However, isn't that just like our experiences today? Sometimes I, personally, do not fully appreciate the sites and their culture.

 

 

We don't fully appreciate all sites on the first visit. The birds at St. Marks Square are one example. The crowds are another, such as, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, we couldn't get close. After initial visits we go back and appreciate more with repeat visits.

 

Locals are amazing where ever we go.

 

Alex

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We don't fully appreciate all sites on the first visit. The birds at St. Marks Square are one example. The crowds are another, such as, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, we couldn't get close. After initial visits we go back and appreciate more with repeat visits.

 

Locals are amazing where ever we go.

 

Alex

 

Good points!

 

On my first visit to Venice I was distinctly underwhelmed, seeing only crowds and rampant tourism, and I disparaged it as Disney World on the Adriatic.

 

Returning with my wife, I began to share it through her eyes and appreciated its charms. Venice hadn't changed but I had.

 

Also agree about the locals. One of my favourite memories of Florence was watching an apparently homeless man who, having slept in a park next to our hotel, gathered his belongings, mounted his bicycle, and rode off with all the dignity of a rich businessman.

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