Trips

Historic Tour of the Cappadocia Region

TRIP COORDINATOR: Yunus Tuncel
DATES: June 6 – 14, 2025

In this trip, we will take a detailed tour of Cappadocia, visiting its several historic sites and natural treasures. From hikes in the Red Valley to pottery and rug-weaving classes, this trip will encompass all of Cappadocia’s marvels.

General Itinerary

Philosophy and Music of Friedrich Nietzsche

TRIP COORDINATOR: Yunus Tuncel
DATES: March 27 – April 5, 2025

In this trip, we will visit villages, towns, and cities where Nietzsche lived and discuss his life, works, ideas, and music. The trip starts in Berlin where a Nietzsche and music event will take place. After Berlin, the trip will continue to Leipzig where Nietzsche studied philology. From there, we visit Röcken where Nietzsche was born and spent the first few years of his life (1844-1848), Naumburg where he grew up, and Schulpforta gymnasium which he attended from 1858 to 1864. Our next stop will be Weimer where our second Nietzsche and music event will take place. In Weimar we will visit the Nietzsche Kollegium, which is the last place where Nietzsche spent the last 3 years of his life (1897-1900) under the care of his sister, Elizabeth Förster-Nietzsche. From Weimer, we visit Jena and the mental asylum there (if accessible) where Nietzsche spent about a year after his collapse. The last place to visit is Bayreuth, the theater and the Wagner Museum, as we explore Nietzsche and Wagner’s relationship. From Bayreuth we return to Berlin for departure. Along the way, we plan to meet with scholars and directors of institutes and have dialogues with them on Nietzsche’s relevance to contemporary society.

General Itinerary

Nietszche Retreat in Sils Maria, Switzerland

INSTRUCTOR: Yunus Tuncel
DATES: TBA

This PhiloRetreat is a workshop to read and discuss selected works by Nietszche as well as hiking in the Alps.

This retreat is prepared to explore the teachings of Friedrich Nietzsche in Sils Maria where he spent several summers and was inspirational for many of his works, including his seminal Thus Spoke Zarathustra, his gift to humanity. As we experience the house (now museum) where he stayed and the region within the context of its inspirational role, we will read and discuss some of his works. The retreat will include the following: a) explore the house/museum, meet with its director and others who played a role in its foundation, including Peter André Bloch (TBC); b) walking in the vicinity and hiking in the mountains, including Silvaplana, St. Moritz, and the mountains around Sils Maria; and c) reading sessions. Along with these activities, we will also cook and eat together. For getting around (if and when needed), we will rely on public transportation. 

General Itinerary – TBA

History of Psychoanalysis Part I: Freud in Vienna

INSTRUCTOR: TBA
DATES: TBA

This PhiloTrip will explore the rich history of Sigmund Freud in Vienna.

We will focus on the origins of psychoanalysis through Freud’s life in the Austrian capital and his relationships with other analysts, including Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karl Abraham, Otto Rank, Ernst Jones, and Anna Freud. Our explorations will start with the historic and philosophical context of the rise of psychoanalysis and will follow Freud’s development of psychoanalytic theory from his early work on hysteria, dreams and sexuality to his later work on group dynamics, civilized morality and aggression. The trip will also investigate the origins of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society and the International Psychoanalytic Association. We will visit Freud’s house, now a museum, on Berggasse 19; Vienna University where he studied medicine; the Physiological Institute; the Schloss Bellevue, where the secret of dreams was revealed to him; Rathausstrasse 7, where he started his practice; and all other relevant places in Vienna and its vicinity where he was active. We will meet with local psychoanalysts and attend their talks; as well as touring the city with a guide to visit some of the major cultural landmarks, such as the Vienna Opera and multiple museums.

General Itinerary

History of Psychoanalysis Part II: Jung in Zurich

INSTRUCTOR: Maria Taveras
DATES: TBA

This Philo Trip will explore the storied history of Carl Gustav Jung in Zurich.

Our journey will be focused around some of the major places where Jung (1875-1961) lived and was active as a psychoanalyst. We will land in Zurich and use Zurich as our base. Jung was one of the leading psychoanalysts of the twentieth century and left a huge impact on the field of psychoanalysis. We will follow the traces of his Lebenswelt in Zurich and the vicinity, with an emphasis on his development and practice as a psychoanalyst.

In 1900 Jung started working at the Burghölzli psychiatric hospital in Zürich with Eugen Bleuler. In addition to the Burghölzli, we will visit the C. G. Jung Institute of Zurich and Jung’s house at Seestrasse in Küsnacht; the Rheinfall; his country house, known as “Bollingen”; and Jung’s Tower (from the outside). During our visits we will interact and have dialogues with Jungian analysts and scholars, and explore many aspects of Jungian psychoanalysis.

General Itinerary:

Ionia: History, Literature and Philosophy

INSTRUCTOR: Yunus Tuncel
DATES: TBA

This PhiloTrip will explore the different facades of ancient Ionian culture.

In addition to philosophy, we will focus on history and literature and read from Homer, Herodotus, and Anacreon. This journey will take us to major sites of Ionia, as we plunge into its history. We will start with ancient Smyrna, Izmir), which is the biggest city of the region. We will visit the Museum of Archaeology as an introduction to the trip and Ionia. The trip will include visits to Pergamon, a famous Hellenistic city (famous for its book/library culture) and Sardis, the capital of Lydia. We visit, one of the 12 major cities of ancient Ionia where Parmenides’ family comes from. After Phocea, we come back to Izmir and then visit the sites on the peninsula including Teos, the city of Anacreon, an important place for Hellenistic theater and Clazomenai, the city of Anaxagoras and then drive back to Izmir. We leave Izmir and head south to see to Priene and Ephesus, two other important Ionian cities. Although the temple of Artemis, one of the wonders of the ancient world, where Heraclitus used to contemplate, no longer exists, there is plenty to see in Ephesus, including the later Roman additions. Priene, a smaller city, presents one of the oldest examples of urban design from ancient Greek world. We spend a night in Kusadasi and then move south to see the temple of Apollo in Didyma, and Miletus, the birth-place of Greek philosophy and the city of the first school of philosophy. From Didyma we will drive to Halicarnassus, the main city of Caria and hometown of Herodotus whose book Histories will be our companion for this journey. Our trip ends in Bodrum/Halicarnassus. In addition to sightseeing, we will indulge in the cuisine of this part of Turkey, taste the famous figs of Aydin, enjoy the beaches, and interact with locals.

General Itinerary