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5/2/2010 - 5/8/2010
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Pella, Iowa


Exploring Unusual Cities: A Touch of History, a Taste of Utopia

Prices for this date starting at: $1118 per person

Date selected:


5/2/2010


Number: 13032RJ

Duration: 6 nights

Theme: Social Science & Culture; Philosophy & Religion

Meals: 17 total, 6 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches, 6 Dinners

Activity Level: 3
(see description)

Itinerary: Des Moines, Iowa 1 night; Nauvoo, IL 2 nights... More
Amana Colonies - Photo courtesy of Iowa Tourism office

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Exploritas Connection: Meet fellow participants, share ideas and discuss common interests
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Attracted to rich soils, endless sunsets, and a better way of life, many unusual societies settled in the heartland: Old Order Amish, New Age Maharishi, German Amana Colonies, Pella's Dutch, Nauvoo's Mormons and French Icarians. Broaden your understanding of each society as we travel to their cities and meet their residents. Learn their history and purpose, and how their unusual lifestyles mesh with society. Delve into Icarian trades at the oldest winery in Illinois. Visit with Amish inside their homes and barns. Grasp a pitchfork at Grant Wood's "American Gothic" house. Sample ethnic foods and author interviews in the Amana Colonies. Step into another world at Vedic City, headquarters of Transcendental Meditation, to experience their yogic flying, Vedic-style architecture and children reciting Sanskrit. Enjoy your final day amid colorful Dutch costumes and parades at Pella’s famous Tulip Time festival. Take an engaging look at utopian societies today. Can opposite lifestyles co-exist?



Must be able to walk 4 blocks at your own pace from the motor coach to Pella's downtown Tulip Time festival. Optional festival activities require additional walking. Costumed street-scrubbing, Dutch dancing and parade events are viewed from outdoor bleacher seating. Some private homes, Amish farms, Maharishi school classrooms and historic restaurants have stairs and uneven surfaces. Amish farm visits include close proximity to draft horses. Contact with plant and animal allergens are possible.



Date Specific Information

5-2-2010

Enjoy the latest in hearing technology — listening devices — on this date.




Program in association with Iowa State University Extension.



Itinerary

Independent arrivals to Des Moines, Iowa, 1 night; coach to Nauvoo, IL, 2 nights; coach to Iowa City, 1 night; coach to Amana Colonies, 1 night; coach to Des Moines, 1 night. Independent departures after breakfast the final day.



Pella

Settled by Dutch immigrants in the mid-19th century, the area preserves its heritage in the still-operational 1850s Vermeer Windmill, one of the tallest in the United States. The adjoining canal flows through the city center, which features Dutch-influenced architecture, tulip gardens and European-style carillon bells.




Suggested Reading List

Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America


Author: Stephen Bloom


Description: If you choose to read only one book for this program, this is the one I most strongly recommend! Due to distance, we will not be able to travel to Postville, but will learn about it via video and lecture. This book highlights a relevant example of the clashes that can result from new settlements today. How do you think they can they be avoided?


Inaugurating Maharishi Vedic University


Author: His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi


Description: During your day in Vedic City, you may be introduced to new sights, sounds, smells and tastes – started by Maharishi (Ma HAR shi) as the personal guru to the Beatles in the 1960’s, and adopted today by Iowa’s newest, and some would say “most unusual”, city.


The Amana People, The History of a Religious Community


Author: Peter Hoehnle


Description: The Amana Colonies are not (nor have they ever been) Amish. Dr. Peter Hoehnle is a historian and lifelong resident and author about the Amana Colonies and other Utopian societies. He is also an instructor for our program. This book provides a preview of the interesting history of these colonies.


A Peculiar People: Iowa’s Old Order Amish


Author: Elmer and Dorothy Schwieder


Description: This is the most accurate account published in book form about the lifestyle and beliefs of the particular Amish settlement we will be visiting.


Utopia


Author: Sir Thomas More, translated by Paul Turner, 1917


Description: Try this book (in the English translation) only if you are a very tenacious reader! Then think about how this book inspired Etienne Cabet to lead many French people away from their homeland in an attempt to create Utopia in America. Would you be a follower as well?