Are you 55 or over and interested in a unique learning experience at an extremely affordable price? San Pedro Center in conjunction with Elderhostel, Inc., offers just such an opportunity. Our all-inclusive programs offer five nights and six days of wonderful meals, comfortable rooms, entertaining and knowledgeable instructors, field trips to the surrounding area, and a staff eager and willing to make your week memorable. Please take a look at the programs we’re offering for the 2009 winter/spring season listed below. TO REGISTER: Online at www.elderhostel.org, or by calling 877-426-8056 (Mon. - Fri. 9:00am-6:00pm Eastern Time)

#17138 - January 17-22, 2010

Stretching the Boundaries of Faith: The Challenge of Darwin Georgetown University theologian John Haught tells us, "There is nothing in Christian faith that should make one afraid of science’s widening and deepening of knowledge…The more extended and elaborate our sense of creation becomes, the more we should be able to enlarge our appreciation of the world’s Creator." In keeping with this wisdom, we’ll explore such topics as the religion—science dialogue, evolution, scripture and church teaching on creation, and images of God in the Christian tradition. In this course we’ll go together in search of "God After Darwin."

Care of Creation Stewardship of the earth and its creatures has a long history in the Franciscan tradition. Explore St. Francis’ vision while enjoying nesting eagles, sandhill cranes, soaring osprey, gopher turtles, and wild orchids.

Journey Through the Majesty of Mind What is the nature and role of our memories? How do they help us in daily life? Discover nature’s evolutionary and primary purpose for the development of the mind as it takes information from one state to another. Learn ways to increase your memory.

#18404 - January 31- February 5, 2010

To Hell and Back with Dante A look at medieval Florence’s most famous son, Dante Alighieri, author of the world’s greatest Christian poem, The Divine Comedy. Journey with us to Dante’s Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Take a look at the theology and culture of the time and how we can relate them to our world.

ITALY - WITHOUT THE JET LAG Travel to Italy while learning a little of the language and culture of this romantic country. Spend an afternoon helping to cook an authentic Italian meal with a "culinary artiste." Hear about the vinyards and sample the wine. This is a light-hearted look at Italy designed for the armchair traveler.

THE ART OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE - ALL ABOARD OUR TOUR BUS The Uffizi of Florence, the Borghese of Rome, the Doge’s Palace of Venice are just a sampling as you study the works of Raphael, Titian, Michelangelo, Da Vinci and more on this ‘Staycation’

#18364 - February 14-19, 2010

CATHEDRALS AND LABYRINTHS: CHARTRES AND OTHER PILLARS OF THE EARTH Chartres, with its famous labyrinth, is deemed the greatest of the medieval cathedrals. Explore its symbolism and study other examples of the High Middle Ages to understand why and how they were built and why they continue to amaze us as places of worship and awe.

MADNESS, MYSTERY, AND MACHINATIONS IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES From illiteracy, starvation and disease to stained glass windows, illuminated manuscripts, and haloed saints...Europe’s transformation through the Middle Ages was breathtaking...full of magic, mystery and intrigue. Saddle up with hooded pilgrims; plot with Eleanor, enter the lab of Bacon, see visions with Francis; listen to the music of Bingen; romance with Abelard & Heloise. All are part of your rollicking journey through the life and times of the high middle ages.

ART OF THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES: STORIES IN ART The paintings of the Middle Ages are filled with beautiful stories of heroism that have been forgotten in the modern period. This course will teach you in detail how to understand what you are looking at in Italian and Dutch masterpieces from 1100 to 1500 AD.

#15797 - February 21-26, 2010

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: EVOLUTION OF THE MODERN CIRCUS These amazing street performers from Canada have literally re-invented the circus, thrilling and amazing audiences all over the world. Travel with the circus through history focusing on musinc theatre, costume design and extraordinary circus acts. ATTEND A PERFORMANCE OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL.

MASTERS OF AMERICAL LITERATURE Sun yourself on a summers day on the old Mississippi as you read the life of Tom and Huck; enter the darkness of master poet Edgar Allan Poe; allow Alcott to be your guide as you enter the lives of Little Women/Men; or write poetic verse with Emily!

ART What's so great about the Mona Lisa? Why was the Renaissance so important? Those rebels, the Impressionists! Squiggles, squirts, and spashes: contemporary art! Dada, Cubist, oh my! Come ask those questions you were afraid to ask in the museum.

#18295 - February 28- March 5, 2010

HEAL THYSELF: DREAMS AND YOUR WELL-BEING The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the mind. Learn how conscious involvement with our dreams can facilitate new levels of awareness. By learning the language of the unconscious, the conscious mind can take what seems strange and unreal and make it meaningful and transformative. Every dream is a natural experiment in self-reflection and self-creation: nature confronting mind and consciousness with the inner work of growth, change, and personal and spiritual evolution. Dreams are nature’s own inner theatre for expressing and resolving the natural conflicts of psychobiological growth and development. Learn the power dreams contain to create new realities and enhance our relationship with nature, our neighbors, and ourselves.

"DALI-ING" WITH DREAMS Salvador Dali, the Spanish Catalan painter best known for the striking and highly imaginative images in his surrealist work, is said to have painted some of them from his dreams. Dali’s expansive artistic repertoire includes film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of mediums. Our class consists of a day trip to the renowned Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, where we will have an opportunity to view and discuss his works first-hand.

"WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE" A LOOK AT DREAMS IN STORY The unconscious mind, reflected in dreams, has a major role in creating literature. Whether dreams are part of a story or prompt the author to create a story, they reveal the deepest truths about our fears and inner lives. This course will look at poetry, fiction, and films that show the importance of the creative unconscious.

#18405 - March 7-12, 2010

WINTER PARK - A BIT OF NEW ENGLAND TRANSPLANTED Filled with history and charm, Winter Park was originally founded as a resort destination by wealthy New England industrialists before the turn of the 20th century. Explore Olde Winter Park, its past, its winding brick streets, its famous residents. Tour some of its well-known museums, and weather permitting, enjoy a boat ride through its many canals.

LITERARY NEW ENGLAND - THE FAMOUS FOUR AND MORE A glimpse into the lives and works of four of the most noted writers in New England: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson, Henry David Thoreau and Robert Frost with one day spent on the best-loved poems of the nineteenth century written by New England poets.

SOOTHING THE SAVAGE BEAST From Jazz to Country and Western, Classical to Baroque, Liturgical to Rock, music does indeed stir the soul. Often used as therapy, it can be a significant mood alterer, alleviating stress, energising or relaxing the listener. A look at some of our favorite - and not so favorite music, and an opportunity to experience its effects on us first-hand through the performances of local musicians.

#15797 - March 21-26, 2010

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: EVOLUTION OF THE MODERN CIRCUS These amazing street performers from Canada have literally re-invented the circus, thrilling and amazing audiences all over the world. Travel with the circus through history focusing on musinc theatre, costume design and extraordinary circus acts. ATTEND A PERFORMANCE OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL.

MASTERS OF AMERICAL LITERATURE Sun yourself on a summers day on the old Mississippi as you read the life of Tom and Huck; enter the darkness of master poet Edgar Allan Poe; allow Alcott to be your guide as you enter the lives of Little Women/Men; or write poetic verse with Emily!

ART What's so great about the Mona Lisa? Why was the Renaissance so important? Those rebels, the Impressionists! Squiggles, squirts, and spashes: contemporary art! Dada, Cubist, oh my! Come ask those questions you were afraid to ask in the museum.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT SAN PEDRO CENTER’S PROGRAMS
CALL BETTY 407-671-6322