Europe Tour Inquiry

What is inquiry?
Inquiry is an opportunity for you to explore
ideas around a question you have about a topic
that interests you. You’ve all chosen to go on
the LFMSS Grand Tour of Europe – so that’s our
starting point – that’s a shared interest you all
have.

Why do we go to Europe?
The Europe Tour is a school field trip first and
foremost. Of course, there are many elements to the trip, and as I have pointed out before, we
travel for three big reasons:
• Education
• Joy
• Comradery

Education – Learning through experience and “in situ” (which basically means “in the place
where it should be”) allows us to make deeper connections than we could through
lectures/books/technology only.

Joy – We experience joy from many sources – family, friends, pets, activities, games, reading,
movies, music, etc. One of life’s great joys is in leaving behind “regular life” and exploring
unfamiliar territory – where every day is some sort of new adventure. It changes our
perspectives, resets our expectations, and invigorates our lives – it’s “good for you!”

Comradery – We’re a travelling caravan of like-minded adventurers. We draw on each other’s

strengths, sense of humour, knowledge and compassion. Relationships develop and/or deepen
through shared experiences.

How is inquiry related to the Europe Tour?

On past Europe trips, some students have informally
engaged in inquiry. They would read or watch films or do
internet research on topics of interest related to the trip
itinerary and share some of what they had learned during
the trip – mostly just to Mr. Bresett and in their trip
journals. The Europe Tour Inquiry is designed to have
everyone take part in inquiry and share it with the rest of
the group in a meaningful way.
 Procedure
Inquiry starts with your interests. The Europe Tour Inquiry Assignment has to be related to the
Europe Tour by definition, so we will start with a list of stops on the tour itinerary for you to
consider. After that, you will develop an essential question to investigate. Then you will share
your findings with Mr. Bresett in a format that is publishable – for example a word document or
pdf file. This will be added to our trip journal to be shared with the group. THIS IS A WORK IN
PROGRESS FOR ALL OF US – Mr. Bresett included. Below is a partial list.

Itinerary
Point of interest Possible topics

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Wenceslas Square Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia
Prague Spring (revolution and tyranny)
Velvet Revolution (collapse of communism)
Velvet Divorce (peaceful split between Czech and Slovakia)

Prague Castle Medieval power and politics (nobility and peasantry)

Defenestration (unique Czech form of execution)
Thirty Years War (religious war)

St. Vitus Cathedral Nationalism and religious identity

Gothic architecture
Stained glass
Relics of saints (Wenceslas chapel)

Staré Město (Old Town Square) Jan Hus Memorial (Religious freedom)
Tyn Church (Religious freedom)
Astronomical Clock (medieval engineering)

Strahov Monastery Czech food traditions

Monastic brewing
Medieval libraries
Monastic life

BAMBERG, GERMANY
Bamberg Cathedral Gothic Architecture
Bamberg Horseman (art as a medium for
myth)
Tilman Reimenschneider (artists as a symbols
of national pride)

Schlenkerla Restaurant Franconian food traditions

Bamberg Altstadt Unesco World Heritage Sites

ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER, GERMANY
Kriminal Museum Crime and Punishment in Medieval Europe
• Using shame as a punishment
• Selling of “indulgences”
• Torture and human rights

St. Jakob Church Religious pilgrimages

The Last Supper by Tilman Reimenschneider

Town Square General Tilly and Mayor Nusch – reality and myth
30 Years War (religious war)

Night Watchman Tour Night Watchmen in the Middle Ages

Humour and history

MUNICH, GERMANY
Dachau Camp Memorial The Holocaust
Aftermath of war
Racial and religious identity
Nationalism
The Human Spirit
Liberation

Nymphemberg Palace The Baroque movement in Europe

Wealth and poverty
Class system

Hofbräuhaus Bavarian food traditions

Bavarian culture and identity

Munich Walking Tour The rise of the Third Reich

BLED, SLOVENIA
St. Mary’s Church History and legend

Pletna boat ride Long-standing traditions

Bled Castle Medieval power and politics

Fortress mentality

KARST REGION, SLOVENIA

Skocjan Caves Exploring the underworld
Geology of the Karst Region
VENICE, ITALY
St. Mark’s Basilica Relics of Saints
Plunder and displays of wealth

Doge’s Palace Art as nationalism

Republican power structure
Symbolic heads of state

Venice Walking Tour The impact of tourism

Moses as a Christian icon (Church of St. Moses)
Modernization vs. stagnation
Criminal conspiracy (La Fenice opera house)
Opera – the first true multi-media entertainment
Opera as nationalism
Engineering a city on the water
Escape from Aquileia
Wealth through tariffs (Punta della Dogana)
When is a city no longer a city?

Venetian Lagoon Protected crafts/industries (glass blowing on Murano)

Early Christian practices/beliefs (Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta on
Torcello)
The ecology of the wild lagoon (Torcello)

PISA, ITALY
The Field of Miracles Romanesque Architecture (Cathedral)
Baptism in the Christian tradition (Baptistry)
Medieval and modern engineering (Tower)

LEVANTO, ITALY
Cinque Terre The flora and fauna of the Ligurian coastline
Tourism in a fragile ecosystem
Extreme weather events (flood of 2011)

Ristorante Moresco Ligurian food traditions

Sustainable fisheries

FLORENCE, ITALY
Historic Florence Walking Tour
The Renaissance as the birth of the modern world
Florence and the origins of the Renaissance
The Medicis – how does one family accumulate so much wealth?
Patrons of the arts
Inspiration or perspiration – what makes a great artist?
Engineering feats of the Renaissance – the Dome
Brunelleschi and Michelangelo – socially awkward geniuses
Savonarola and the fear of change
Crass materialism and the bonfires of the vanities
Renaissance architecture and its connections to the past
Open air markets and the bargaining tradition
The Accademia Renaissance art and the human form
David as a symbol of free will
David and Goliath – tyranny and triumph in the Old Testament
Mary, mother of Jesus, in medieval art
The process of sculpture
The development of musical instruments in the Renaissance

ROME, ITALY
The Pantheon The original European gods
Rituals and practices of the early Christian church
Roman architecture and engineering

The Trevi Fountain The Baroque movement in art as a reaction to the Reformation
Roman water engineering

The Coloseum Roman architecture and engineering

The history of sports as a spectacle
Bloodsports of the Ancient World
Power and architecture in the Ancient World
The decadence of the Romans
A Christian Empire (The Arch of Constantine)

The Forum Daily life for citizens of ancient Rome

The murder of Julius Caesar
Brutality and superstition – the Vestal Virgins
The Diaspora of the Jewish people (Arch of Titus)

Victor Emmanuel II Monument The risorgimento and the unification of Italy

Mussolini and the rise of Fascism

The Vatican Church and State in European history

Pope Francis and world events
The Jesuit order and the spread of Christianity to
the New World
Art as a celebration of faith

Sistine Chapel The genius of Michelangelo

The historic power of the papacy
The system of papal election

St. Peter’s Basilica Architecture as a celebration of faith

The meaning of the death of Christ
The life of Saint Peter, the first pope
Renaissance engineering (Michelangelo’s dome)
The original basilica
The coronation of Charlemagne
Relics and faith in the Catholic Church
Examples of finding the “essential” question for your inquiry

Wenceslas Square Prague Spring (revolution and tyranny)

Why would someone give up their life for a cause?
Velvet Revolution (collapse of communism)
How can people fight against oppression without violence?
Velvet Divorce (peaceful split between Czech and Slovakia)
How does a nation peacefully come to terms with
ethnic/religious/political differences?

Bamberg Cathedral Gothic Architecture

How did gothic architecture help people celebrate their faith?
Bamberg Horseman (art as a medium for myth)
How can symbolism in art inspire actions?
Why do we find different meanings in art?