In Search of Dracula
ENG 1132 (01)
In this course, students will retrace the steps of Dracula and the British people he hunts (and is hunted by) in Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel. Students will explore four key destinations: London, England; Whitby, England; Budapest, Hungary; and the Transylvania region of Romania. During the tour, which will last for 13 days/12 nights, we will be asking questions not only about Bram Stoker's book and vampires, but about 2 critical contemporary issues that the novel and our "pilgrimage" itself will raise: 1) the difficulties of crosscultural observation (considering how the British characters misinterpret and underestimate the Eastern "other") and 2) the role that literature and film plays in mediating our travel experience. (In other words, is it possible to find the "real" Transylvania, or even the "real" London? And if so, how does one go about it?) Daily sightseeing activities will focus on cultural artifacts that bear witness to conflicts between Western and Eastern peoples. Key sites will include the spoils of British imperialism on display at the British Museum, architectural monuments in Budapest relating to crosscultural conquests, and sites of medieval struggle between European and Turkish forces in Romania--including, of course, the castle of Vlad the Conquerer, after whom Dracula was modeled.
Students will be required to keep a detailed, ongoing reflective journal responding to readings related to the issues described above, as well as about crosscultural encounters they experience on the trip. Upon return to the U.S., students will be required to culminate their reflections in a paper rereading the novel Dracula through their experiences and readings.
Index
Itinerary (subject to changes if necessary)
Day 1 Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Board overnight flight to London.
Day 2 Thursday, January 8, 2009
Arrival in London
Walking tour of London --- Stroll through the heart of London, beginning along the banks of the River Thames and continuing along the Strand. Enter Trafalgar Square, home of some of the world’s most famous pigeons, and pause at Nelson’s column, a symbol of Britain’s once unrivaled naval power. Continue on to Leicester Square, where duelists once fought to the death. Then saunter through London’s tiny Chinatown. The walk ends at Covent Garden, where street performers (or “buskers”) and stylish passers-by amuse the lively crowds.
Dinner in London (included)
Overnight in London
Day 3 Friday, January 9, 2009
Guided sightseeing of London --- We will have the opportunity to stop and take photos of Parliament before visiting Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, St. Paul’s cathedral, whose dome is the second largest in the world (after St. Peter’s in Rome). Your tour will end at Buckingham Palace as you witness one of England’s most famed traditions – the changing of the guard.
Visit to the British Museum --- Perusing the collection of the world’s first public museum, we will examine Britain's imperialistic plunder, including reliefs from the Athenian Parthenon (the Elgin Marbles) and the Rosetta Stone (which enabled archaeologists to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics).
Free Time for Evening Theater
Overnight in London
Day 4 Saturday, January 10, 2009
Morning: Free Time --- Possible excursion to the famous gothic Highgate Cemetary. The Victorian romantic attitude to death and its presentation led to the creation of a labyrinth of Egyptian sepulchres and a wealth of Gothic tombs and buildings. The rows of silent stone angels have born witness to pomp and ceremony as well as to some dreadful exhumations . . . This most famous Victorian cemetery was one source of inspiration for Stoker's creepy cemetery scenes, when Arthur comes by night to "reclaim" Lucy.
Afternoon Excursion to Kent to visit the Bethlehem Royal Hospital Museum --- With poor Renfield in mind, we will visit The Bethlehem Royal Hospital Museum, which features exhibitions helping us understand the treatment of mental illness throughout the centuries. 
Overnight in London
Day 5 Sunday, January 11, 2009
As we head toward Whitby, the location of Lucy's estate on the northeast coast of England, we will stop in York, which abounds in gothic medieval architecture and features some of the best-preserved Roman walls in England.
Dinner in Yorkshire (included)
Overnight in Yorkshire
Day 6 Monday, January 12, 2009
Excursion to Whitby --- Whitby is known as one of Yorkshire's best fishing ports. We will Visit the port to see how the fishing industry is run and have the chance to learn more about it and Whitby’s ship building industry, which produced the famous real-life Captain James Cook and Stoker's salty old sailor Mr. Swales, who chats up Mina and Lucy in the Whitby cemetery.
Whitby Abbey --- Our tour ends with a climactic tour of Whitby Abbey, where we will climb the 199 steps to the parish church of St. Mary. It is this abbey and the surrounding cliffs around which Lucy wanders after Dracula sails into town.
Overnight in Yorkshire
Day 7 Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Transfer to London --- Free evening in London, before heading to the airport tomorrow morning.
Overnight in London
Day 8 Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Transfer to Airport for flight to Budapest
Arrival in Budapest --- In 1873, a city was formed from the union of two towns either side of the Danube River. Traditionally, Buda has been the civic center of the city, with government buildings and palatial homes for the gentry. In Pest, one finds the city’s industrial, business and commercial element. Budapest has long been known for its musical, theatrical and literary character, and attracts many tourists to its hot mineral baths and parks.
Bring a bathing suit for your introduction to an utterly amazing experience: taking the plunge into the exotic hot waters of the famous Szechenyi Thermal Baths... a palatial, Turkish-inspired complex of 15 different pools (indoor and out!). You will,literally, soak in the Eastern otherness that Jonathan Harker observes when he arrives in Budapest: "Buda-Pesth seems a wonderful place . . . The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East; the most western of splendid bridges over the Danube, which is here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish rule."
Overnight in Budapest
Day 9 Thursday, January 15, 2009
Guided Sightseeing of Budapest --- Journey up Castle Hill for a look at the Royal Palace, former home of the Hungarian monarchs. The castle has witnessed several invasions- the most recent occurred during WWII. Look for bullet holes in the outer walls, blasted by Russian tanks during the 1956 uprising. Visit the 13th-century Matthias Church, famous as the site of several coronations and for its colorful tiled roof. We'll also pass the Hungarian Parliament, modeled on London’s Houses of Parliament.
This afternoon is left free for activities arranged by Professor Kachur: TBA.
Overnight in Budapest
Day 10 Friday, January 16, 2009
Transfer to Brasov --- Travel to Brasov, located in Romania’s Transylvania region. Brasov is named after the citadel or fortress, Brassovia, that was located on the southern side of the city in the 13th Century. Today, the city is well known for another fortress located nearby—Bran Castle, which debatably was once the home of Vlad the Impaler.
Dinner in Brasov (included)
Overnight in Brasov
Day 11 Saturday, January 17, 2009
Guided sightseeing of Brasov --- Nestled in the Carpathian Mountains, Brasov has been considered one of Romania’s most charming cities for centuries. A local guide will give us an in-depth tour of Brasov and the surrounding area. We will visit the Black church, Romania’s most celebrated gothic church, and, of course...
Bran Castle --- We will explore the eerie nooks and crannies of Bran Castle, an evocative turreted palace that inspired Bram Stoker to write the legend of Count Dracula (based on the life of Vlad Tepes). when the expansion of the Ottoman Empire threatened the safety of Transylvania, the castle was built by the Teutonic Knights for its strategic mountaintop position. Today, the famed castle is said to have been home of Vlad III as he embarked on his crusades to protect Transylvania. While feared by many cultures, for having killed 20,000 to 40,000 European civilians (many by impaling them with a sharp pole), Vlad’s history is told in a different light in Romania. Here, Romanians revere the leader for having protected them from invading Turks.
Overnight in Brasov
Day 12 Sunday, January 18, 2009
Transfer to Bucharest via Snagov Monastery --- On our way to Bucharest, we will visit the Snagov Monastery, the perfect ending place to our Dracula tour. After Vlad was reportedly decapitated by the Turks, his head was brought back to Istanbul as proof of his demise. The rest of Vlad III’s body was buried here. Continue on to Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Romania’s stately capital is a city with a unique combination of new and old. The city has records dating back to 1459, but artifacts have been found here from the Paleolithic era.
Walking tour of Bucharest --- We will see the old city and Bucharest’s oldest building, the Old Princely Court, which dates back to 1462, as well as the city’s oldest church, from 1546.
Dinner in Bucharest (included)
Overnight in Bucharest
Day 13 Monday, January 19, 2009
Transfer to the airport for flight home
Cost
Approximately $3400, which includes all transportation, lodging, tours, entrance fees, breakfasts and four dinners. We will be accompanied by seasoned tour guides throughout our trip.
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