Safe Arrival in Kraków

The group arrived safely in Kraków tonight, right on time, after a train trip of just under 8 hours. It was rainy, and we were cold and hungry, but the hotel was beautiful and the staff welcoming, so they agreed to keep the attached restaurant open just for us, which was very welcome indeed.

Tomorrow morning, we begin our activities with a guided tour of the Old Town, weather permitting.

Phase Two of the Program: Preparing for Departure

After a full and successful week in Prague, the group is preparing to depart for Kraków, where we will remain until a week from Saturday.

As in Prague, we'll begin with an orientation to the city over the weekend. In the course of the week, Polish scholars will lecture on Polish political history, Polish identity, gender, religion, and integration into the European Union. Excursions include trips to Nowa Huta (built by the communist regime in the 1950s as a model industrial community--without a church) and the concentration/death camp complex of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Appetizer

At the mall. Note the butterflies, the mannequins, and the chest hair.

The end of the first day

Fears of Kafkaesque airport experiences in Prague notwithstanding, we arrived safely and promptly in the Czech capital. Unfortunately, our luggage on Air France did not--but that was the fault of the French. The French, not the Czechs. This reminds me that we will be teaching a good deal about the Munich Agreement.

At any rate, all students arrived, and we took the group on an introductory walking tour of the city and held a welcome dinner.

The first formal class sessions take place tomorrow.

On the way

The Hampshire faculty team, following an uneventful trip to Logan Airport, is comfortably seated in the airplane (okay--maybe 'comfortably' is an exaggeration) and ready for takeoff,

Departure and Arrival

Hampshire faculty and most students are scheduled to arrive in Prague on Thursday morning.

Recent press reports may have caused concern among participants and their families:

We assure them, however, that these problems will not arise. (Truth be told, the video reminded me more of my experiences at Chicago's O'Hare over the years.)

Prague's renovated and newly expanded Ruzyně International Airport is in fact every bit as up-to-date as its website, and service is friendly and efficient. The original structure won an architectural award in 1937, and the airport's service was rated best in Central Europe in 2005 and 2007.