Doc Campbells Baker's Dozen of Things to See in Europe

Dr. George G. Campbell ( the Doc ) was a graduate of Mount Allison University and Columbia. He served as Principal of Sydney Academy from 1935 to 1968, the year I graduated. The Doc loved to teach and his favourite subject was History. As the school grew, his duties as Principal took up more of his time but he insisted on keeping in touch with the students by teaching one section of History. In 1965 I was in Grade 10 and was fortunate enough to have the Doc teach me The History of Civilization. He did this without a text book. There were no tests or exams, no pop quizes or long essays. The year was full of wonderful stories, field trips and unfettered imagination. The Doc loved architecture and taught History based on the buildings of each civilization. Our only assignment was to maintain a scrapbook on architecture and submit it at the end of the year. And this was in pre internet days!

No magazine was safe if there was a photo of a building in it. We scoured every possible for a photo or drawing of a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright or his personal favourite, La Corbusier.  Visits to the doctor, the dentist and the barber grew exponentialy. I clearly remember the feeling of satisfaction when I had successfully acquired photos of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns, thereby completing Doc's troika of the foundations of architecture.
The Doc travelled in pre and post-war Europe and loved to regale us with stories of hiking Hadrian's Wall, the glories of Rome and the mysteries unearthed at Pompeii. He fooled us. We learned History in spite of ourselves and he instilled in each and every one of us a thirst for knowledge gained first hand. The Doc was ahead of his time. He was the best teacher I ever had. I dedicate this "journey of a thousand miles" to his memory.












. The British Museum --Elgin Marbles - Rosetta Stone                           Got it                  
2. Westminister Abbey                                                                                           Got it 
3. Hadrian's Wall                                                                                                    Need it
4. Stonehenge                                                                                                         Got it
5. Mont St Michel                                                                                                   Need it
6. The maze at Hampton Court Palace                                                             Got it
7. The Louvre                                                                                                           Need it
8. Florence - The Duomo - Giotto's Tower                                                      Need it
9. Venice - Doge's Palace                                                                                          Need it
10. Rome - The Colleseum  and the Forum                                                       Need it
11. Pompeii                                                                                                               Need it
12. The Acropolis                                                                                                      Need it
13. Anything designed by La Corbusier, #1 Notre Dame du Haut                Need it

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The idea of going to Europe arose again in 1971 as we were about to graduate from Mt Allison University. Len Fifield and I were going to go parading ( a John Lennon term Nard was fond of using) around Europe but I again opted out, chosing instead to go to Law School. Many years would pass before I made it to Europe. I did make a couple of trips to England and got to Scotland, The Netherlands,Denmark and Norway on business, but never did get to do much "parading."

So, come late November, I will get a taste of the backpacking experience as I plan to visit London, northern England, Ireland, France and Belgium, returning to London in mid December to meet up with Deborah. We them embark on a month long bus tour of the capitals of Europe. We will spend Christmas in Rome and New Year's in Athens with stops in Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Pompeii, and many other sites. We will be back home in mid January.

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The Countdown Begins

September 22, 2010 - Today is my 61st birthday. I love birthdays, especially my own. My Love tells everyone "best wishes only" and I tell them the best wish they could give me is a present. This year I am giving myself a present, a trip to Europe. I leave on November 26, exactly 65 days from today. I have a lot to do in that time- get outfitted, decide on an itinerary, choose type of accomodations, etc. So please follow along as I prepare to go on the trip of a lifetime. Below is a history of how I got to this point. Enjoy!

PROLOGUE



Dr. G.G. Campbell was the Principal of Sydney Academy and taught me history in Grade 10. The course was The History of Civilization and he taught it without a text book. His knowledge, gained from years of study and personal travel, kept us spellbound. In hindsight, he was the best teacher I ever had! He instilled in me a desire to learn and to travel. I dedicate this adventure to his memory and will report "Doc Campbell Moments" as I travel.


In the spring of 1968 I was supposed to go bumming around Europe with my best Friend, Mike NacKinnon, but I chickened out. Following graduation from Sydney Academy, Mike worked in Ontario for the summer and left for Europe in the fall. I was left behind to start university, drool over his postcards ( no blogs in 1968) and collect his pogey. Mike brought back a mug from the Munich Oktoberfest which got broken when we hitch-hiked to Margaree to celebrate his return. I promised him I would replace it so that is on my TODO list.

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