Concordia students make literary tour of Europe
A group of 14 students recently returned from the 20th Annual London and Europe Study Tour Dec. 16-Jan. 12. Led by Dr. Daniel Thurber, professor of English at Concordia, the tour visited London, England, and several other European cities to explore historical and literary sites.
The tour began in London, where the group visited Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey and the Charles Dickens House, among other sites. The group then visited Bath, England, the home of novelist Jane Austen.
Next, the travelers explored the Franz Kafka museum in Prague, followed by the Van Gogh museum and Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The tour ended with a trip to Brussels and Bruges, two cities in Belgium, where the group passed through a preserved medieval city and saw the Royal Palace.
“It is a great experience to travel and find out what really interests you and to try new things,” said Madison Phillips, a senior from Ogden, Iowa. “It is a perfect blend of traveling with a group and getting the chance to explore by yourself.”
Thurber began leading study tours to Europe after teaching for a brief time in London in 1992. Over the years, he has led nearly 450 people on tours across the continent. This year’s tour included a couple of students from neighboring universities.
By leading the tours, Thurber says he hopes students learn what it means to be a traveler and that they learn more about themselves by observing other cultures. “Students should be open to why the Lord is leading them to have these experiences and how it will help them in the future,” he said.
Senior Sarah Dinger of Pocatello, Idaho, also participated in the tour. “Traveling to four new, unique countries dramatically altered how I view the world, myself and who I am as an individual within that world,” Dinger said. “That I am a part of the human race which stretches across coasts and onto other lands…is incredible and empowering.”
Student travelers included:
Emily Barz, senior, Dubuque, Iowa
Makenzie Deutschman, senior, North Platte, Neb.
Sarah Dinger, senior, Pocatello, Idaho
Jami Fowler, senior, Hastings, Neb.
Naomi Kuddes, sophomore, Austin, Minn.
Stephanie Lund, senior, Parker, Colo.
Emily McAllister, senior, Atkinson, Neb.
Bethany Osberg, senior, Norfolk, Neb.
Madison Phillips, senior, Ogden, Iowa
Ann Schmidt, junior, Giddings, Texas
Hillary Snyder, senior, Dodge City, Kan.
Nathan Sielk, senior, Miami, Fla.
