Celebrating Arts and Humanities Month: Our Favourite Travel Experiences
As Professor Keating (played by Robin Williams) said in Dead Poet's Society (1989):
Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.
We'd probably add travel to that list, but you get the picture. The arts can help us explore the diverse cultures around us, educate people about almost anything as well and encourage self-expression and creativity. So it's no wonder we want to celebrate! Every October, organisations and communities across the country celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month. It celebrates art, history, archaeology, architecture, languages, music, cultural studies - all the things that make travelling somewhere new so interesting. And we try to weave these experiences into every holiday we plan, not just once but every day.
And to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month, we've pulled together a list of some of our favourite experiences.
Holidays with visits to music attractions
Country music and Rock 'n' Roll in the Deep South
No region can claim credit for more genres of music than the USA. Southern states like South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana are responsible for the birth of ragtime, country, jazz, blues, gospel, Cajun, zydeco and rock'n'roll music. So, of course, while we're there we visit some of the most historic venues and attractions in the world. In Nashville, we visit Studio B, known as the birthplace of the 'Nashville Sound'. It's also affectionately nicknamed 'the home of 1,00 hits' - Dolly Parton even recorded the heart rendering "I Will Always Love You" there in 1973. As you walk around the exhibits, you're walking in the footsteps of famous musicians such as the Everly Brothers, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton and Connie Smith.
We also visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, and go backstage at the Grand Ole Opry (Signature tour only) so if you don't know all of these names yet, you will by the end of your visit. You'll leave Nashville with a newfound appreciation for Country music.
And in Memphis, we visit Graceland, the former home of Elvis - the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His music became the sound of a generation, he's known as a disruptor of the genre and social norms and, in death, he became the ultimate embodiment of the American lifestyle. He's considered one of the most influential musicians of all time. Since opening to the public in 1982, Graceland has hosted more the 20 million visitors from across the globe and is one of the most visited home tours in the United States - and the second most famous home in America, after the White House. Here you can learn more about Elvis' incredible career through artefacts and photos, see his collection of gold and platinum records (he still holds the record for the most physical sales, topping more than 320 million units), his famous jumpsuits and other memorabilia from his movies and more.
Classical music and the birthplace of Mozart
In the Austrian city of Salzburg, you can hardly move without spotting something paying homage to its most famous son - Mozart chocolates, rubber ducks, ice cream, statues litter the city. Of course, their pride is well-deserved. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy and all-round genius - he learned to play the piano at 3 years old and wrote his first opera at 14. And, although his life was tragically short (he died at 35), he left behind over 600 works, including some of the most famous and loved pieces of symphonic, chamber, operatic and choral music. We love visiting Salzburg on our Lakes and Mountains of Austria tour as you can really feel his influence around the city. Sure, there are a lot of objects and statues bearing his resemblance but, more than that, the streets are alive with beautiful live music. The sounds of violinists and harpists practising their craft drift on the breeze around the historic squares. And, of course, Mozart isn't the only attraction - you can also visit Schloss Leopoldskron or twirl through the very same fields as Julie Andrews did in The Sound of Music (1965).
The Three Tenors in Sorrento
Our Signature experiences offer a more exclusive atmosphere with enhanced and additional experiences added to your tour. One of our newest additions is a musical performance of Three Tenors in Sorrento, Italy. This homage to The original Three Tenors is a nod to their influence on modern classical acts - their success during their legendary performance at a charity concert in 1990, was the start of one of the most successful and influential classical acts of modern times changing the way classical music was perceived and consumed around the world. The original trio's concerts are difficult shows to snag tickets to (unless you have a Ouija board handy) so opt instead for this Three Tenor Concert in Sorrento, inspired by their musical range. The set list features the sound of three rich tenor voices accompanied by strings and a grand piano amplified by the historical setting of the Correale di Terranova Museum and Gardens.
Opera in a Roman Amphitheatre
Sticking with live performances, if you book on our Italian tour to Lake Garda, Venice and Verona between 17th June and 2nd September 2024 you could add an optional excursion to the oldest open-air opera festival. How many people can say they saw one of Opera's most famous operas - Aida, Carmen, The Barber of Seville - in a Roman amphitheatre? When the floodlights go down, the 15,000 spectators fall silent as the magic begins and beautiful voices fill the dusky air. Between the on-stage talent and the historic atmosphere, this is truly an experience like no other. Even if you are not an opera aficionado, you can still appreciate the performance and opera's significant influence on everything from musical theatre to rock and film - even video games.
Holidays with cultural performances
Hypnotising flamenco in Seville
In a seductive display of hand clapping, percussive footwork and intricate hand, arm and body movement, flamenco dancers move to the lively music of a guitar and singer. It's known for its highly expressive form and emotional intensity. Its importance as a hallmark of Andalusian artistic expression has been recognised by the likes of UNESCO, who inscribed it on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. And the dance originates in southern Spain, in the Andalusian region, so there's no better place to see it than in Seville on our Classical Spain Signature tour.
Classical Dressage in Vienna
The Spanish Riding School in Vienna's Hofburg Palace is the only institution in the world to have practised classical equitation in the Renaissance tradition of the Haute Ecole. Home to the famous Lipizzaners, horse and rider work in tandem with others to perform the Ballet of the White Stallions accompanied by classical Viennese music demonstrating a series of movements of classical dressage including highly controlled, stylised jumps, and other movements known as the 'airs above the ground'. The performance has its roots in military traditions designed to strengthen war horses' bodies and minds that date back to ancient times. It's an awe-inspiring display of athleticism from both horse and rider. And the show ends with the 20-minute-long 'School Quadrille' act - it's the longest and most difficult in the world, performed by eight riders, riding in formation.
Holidays with visits to art attractions
Monet's Garden in Giverny
Considered the father of Impressionism Claude Monet's work depicts French landscapes, light and the leisure activities of Paris and the Normandy coast. Gardening was said to be his second love...
I am only good at two things, and those are: gardening and painting
...and his garden inspired some of his most famous works - The Water Lilies, a series of around 250 paintings devoted to the water lilies grown in his garden, which discerning travellers can see on a visit to his house and gardens in Giverny. His unique colour palette, vision and conformation would make a lasting impact on the future of fine art. Beyond impressionism and post-impressionism, Monet directly influenced Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock - whose work is some of the most expensive paintings ever sold - and Mark Rothko, who's best known for his colour field paintings.
Rijksmueum in Amsterdam
We know not everyone has the same idea of what constitutes the perfect holiday, so we offer a wide range of added extras that give you the freedom to choose your own adventure. If you happen to be an art lover - or even if you're not - we recommend adding a trip to the Rijksmuseum to your holiday in the Netherlands. Consider by many to be one of the best museums in the world, its 80 galleries and 8,000 objects tell the story of Dutch art and history, from the Middle Ages to Mondrian (that's the early 1900s, for the neophytes). The collections include works by Dutch Golden Age masters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer, as well as Judith Leyster's - one of only 24 female artists with work hanging in the Rijksmuseum - and modern works like those by Karel Appel. And, as an added bonus, the Van Gogh Museum is just a 5-minute walk away.
Holidays with visits to archaeological sites
The wonders of Ancient Greece
For those with a special interest in archaeology, holidays to Greece are likely to enchant. One of our favourite tours is new for 2025, Ephesus and the Greek Islands allows you to explore the wonders of Ancient Greece with visits to the ruins of the Acropolis and Parthenon. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most striking and complete ancient Greek monument complexes still in existence - and an iconic symbol of Athens. We also visit the ancient port city of Ephesus - once considered the most important trading centre in the Mediterranean, it survived multiple attacks, changed hands many times between conquerors and was a hotbed of early Christian evangelism. And, as one of the largest and best-preserved cities from the classical period, it remains an important archaeological site.
Knossos Palace in Crete
Another of Greece's largest and most important archaeological sites can be found on the Greek island of Crete. Here, history and legend intertwine. Knossos Palace served as a ceremonial, political, religious and economic centre of Minoan civilisation - it's said to be the birthplace of the first civilisation in Europe. But Knossos is also the setting for a somewhat disturbing Greek myth. Beneath the city is said to be the labyrinth that houses the man-eating Minotaur, eventually slayed by Theseus. While we've never seen a Minotaur, there's still so much to explore, the complex is spread across 5 acres, with several multi-story ruins. And, as you stand among the marble and crumbling limestone masonry of the Central Court, grand staircase and throne room, you can't help but be struck by the sophistication of the construction. You can visit Knossos Palace on our ocean cruise on board Celestyal Journey.
Enjoy life on board our river cruises
On our river cruises the fun doesn't stop when you leave dry land. Throughout your journey, we'll treat you to some of the cultural highlights of your chosen destinations with onboard activities and performances. So you can savour the taste of cheese in Chalon with a board of delicious local produce served with bread and a variety of mustards, watch professional dancers glide across the dance floor as we sail from port to port in France - you might even pick up some of the basic steps of a French madison line dance, listen the the musical stylings of a string duet or be enchanted by folklore shows that weave music and local myths, giving insight into local history.
