Dear Friends,

We are planning a weekend trip to Maine and would like to invite you to join us! We have booked the gorgeous house, Bryant Pond Station, which is on the lake.

The house has 7 bedrooms and accommodates 25 people. It features a deck with an awesome view over the lake and mountains, has 2 outdoor grills, a billiard table, a fire place and is situated right at Bryant Pond. From the house it is a short drive to the white mountains for superb hiking and 20 minutes to the Sunday river resort that has lots of activities like downhill mountain biking. And of course if the weather is good, swimming, canoeing, BBQs will be right in the backyard.

The trip will be over the weekend of June, Fri14/Sat15/Sun16 with the possibility of staying for a third night until Monday at no extra cost. To secure a spot we ask to pay $120.- pp for the house rental. Depending on how many people join this will probably also pay for part of the food. If you are interested in joining, please e-mail tamaratilburgs@hotmail.com and we will send you details on how to pay and send you a short questionnaire about cars, food, departure times and so.

Please feel free to forward this to friends who you think may be interested in joining!

Best wishes,
Tamara

Dear Euroclubbers,

Please join for another music event:

Musical evening with harpsichord and piano with music of Bach, Rameau, and Chopin.

Please bring some snacks and beverage.

If you are interested in joining please email me directly on tomasinoz@aol.com

Thanks,

Tom

Euroclubbers,

I am inviting you to join me for Music of Appalachia with Lorraine and Bennett Hammond on March 14th at the Museum of Fine Arts from 6-8PM.

The distinctive music of Appalachia developed in isolation throughout the Appalachian mountain range (although, it is often only associated with the Southern mountains of West Virginia, Kentucky, the Carolinas) from English ballads, Irish and Scottish fiddle music brought over by European settlers in the 17th century and influenced by African-American hymns and blues.
Appalachian music was strongly endorsed during the American Folk Revival movement of the sixties, and has inspired bluegrass and hillybilly genres (which gave rise to country music), and has inspired protest songs and the music of pop singers such as Bob Dylan. It is characterized by the accompanying rhythms of the banjo, guitar, mountain dulcimer and fiddle.

NOTE: This event is free with a museum admission ticket
If you would like to join, email me at albertacolakovic@hotmail.com
Cheers,
Alberta

Hello European Club Members!

I am excited to announce a new kind of event:  a piano recital at a private house this Saturday.

The pianist is doing a run through for her appearance in a competition in N.Y.  The program is very interesting too, with music by Bach, Chopin, Liszt and Ravel.

If you are interested in attending, please email Tom tomasinoz@aol.com

Please understand that attendance to this event is limited.

The event  is free of charge. However, contributions in form of snacks or beverages are encouraged.

Best,  Sven

Come join a lively group of passionate travelers for a night of travel buzz, featuring short presentations by guest speakers & breakout tables hosted by travel experts!

Get your tickets early at http://travelbuzz.eventbrite.com/ ($12 for Early Birds, and $15 after Feb 20). Tickets will NOT be sold at the door.

The Event will take place at (for more details visit the eventbrite webpage):

The Asgard Irish Pub & Restaurant
350 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139

RAFFLE AND FREE GIVEAWAYS! 1 raffle ticket included w/ entrance fee. Bonus Early Bird Offer: Purchase your ticket by Feb 13 and get 3 raffle tickets.

Speaker lineup:
- "Integrate into Local Communities with Volunteer Travel" by Meet Plan Go's Lillie Marshall
- "Solo Travel" by Kim Scheltz
- "Breaking into Traveling: Backpacking Around Europe" by Joshua Rottman
- "Working and Living Abroad" by Jocelyn Gonzalez
- "Optimizing Your Use of Technology to Plan Your Trip and Get the Best Deals" by Caitlin Condon
- "Cultural Immersion through Couchsurfing" by Kristof Redei

All speakers will also discuss cost-cutting tricks and tips for staying healthy and safe

Breakout tables, hosted by travel experts, will include these topics:

- Off-the-Beaten-Path Traveling
- Solo Travel
- Planing Your Trip: Where to Start?
- Health and Safety
- Volunteering Abroad: Teaching, WWOOFing, etc
- Extended Travel and Round-The-World Trips
- Alternative accommodation: homestays and couchsurfing
- Advanced Travel Tips for Experienced Backpackers
... and more!

This event is open to anyone interested in world travel, whether you're a novice or an experienced traveler.

All proceeds will be donated to Shanker Foundation and Cultural Survival, two grassroots, non-profit organizations dedicated to educating communities and advocating for under-represented populations.

Event hosts: Travel Buzz is hosted by a group of experienced travelers who are always searching for new ideas and the next offbeat destination. We travel adventurously and independently on a budget, and we want to help you do the same. We also host Boston's largest non-commercial travel meetup—Boston Expat and World Travelers.

Euroclubbers,

I would like to invite you to join me at the Beehive in South Boston. The Beehive has live music on stage almost every day of the week!

The Beehive is classy and spacey, set for the young professional crowd. The ambiance is artsy and eclectic. There are two floors from which to view the scene on stage. The first floor is divided into the dinner and bar area, and the second floor has a bird's viewpoint of the stage from the balcony edge. A spectator can choose to sit and order food/drinks on either floor. For those who prefer sitting at the second level bar, the performance is screened against the brick wall above the stage for an exciting, unique view of the act. The Beehive is reminiscent of a blues/jazz bar of the Jazz Age. The music ranges from Jazz, Blues to Cuban Salsa, Brazilian Samba to Cabaret and the performers have a tendency to be international or internationally influenced.

If you would like to join, email me at: albertacolakovic@hotmail.com
Meeting will be in front of Beehive at: 541 Tremont Street Boston MA 02116 at 8PM

See website and description below:

http://beehiveboston.com/

Blues on Sunday!

The Beehive's Sunday night Blues series features a core band of legendary players with a revolving door of guests singing, sitting in, and getting down...the perfect antidote for the Sunday blues!

The all-star house blues band is led by 25-year musical veteran keyboardist and producer, Bruce Bears. Come in for a relaxing Sunday night of great performance, food and libations compliments of Knob Creek including their Rye Whisky and Single Barrel Reserve. Don't miss it!

Dear European Club Members,

I am looking to organize a day trip to Waterville valley where you can either downhill ski/snowboard or cross country ski or snow shoe.  

http://www.waterville.com/

This trip will only be possible if other drivers who are willing to take passengers sign up.   Passengers who need a ride will be put on a wait list until enough drivers sign up.  If you are a passenger you should expect to share driving expenses (gas, tolls, wear and tear, insurance)

I am able to get downhill lift tickets for $39.00 if they are purchased in advance.  Please email me if you are interested in joining and also indicate one of the following:

1) Are you a driver or passenger?

2) If driver , how many people can you fit and does that include ski equipment?

3) Do you plan to downhill, cross country or snow shoe?

4) Will you need to rent any equipment (maybe I can arrange a group discount)

If you are interested please email me: vijaym@yahoo.com

Best, Vijay

Dear Euroclub Members,

The highlight of the winter season is approaching:

We are planning a ski trip and would like to invite you to join us for a winter weekend in Maine (even non-skiers will have lots of fun)!

We have booked a house in Woodstock, Maine, only 10 min from the Sunday River Ski Resort!

The house has 7 bedrooms and accommodates 25 people. It features a hot tub, a billiard table, a real fire place and is situated right at Bryant Pond (which will probably be frozen but nevertheless scenic).

The trip will be over the weekend of January,  Fri11/Sat12/Sun13 with the possibility of staying for a third night until Monday at no extra cost.

In case enough people are interested we might get a good discount for day passes and/or equipment rental at Sunday River.

If you are interested in joining, please email sven.loebrich@euroclub.mit.edu.

Please feel free to forward this to friends who you think may be interested in joining!

To secure a spot, please be prepared to make a non-refundable $120 deposit. In the past we haven't asked for a deposit but then some people bailed out for no good reason and we got stuck with the cost for the house...

I will then send you a little questionnaire with details about skiing, car rental, equipment rental etc.

Much looking forward!

For the European Club Executive Board,
Sven and Katya.

Dear Euroclub members,

For those like me who don't have family in the area, Temple Bar near Porter Square (1688 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138) is serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on November 22 for a very reasonable price:

"This year let the Chefs of Temple Bar prepare Thanksgiving Dinner. Be sure to make your reservations as there is limited availability. $39 per meal add a wine pairing for $19."

At this late stage availability and times were very limited. I was only able to make a reservation for 10 people at 8:30 pm. Excluding me, that leaves 8-9 spots available (I may bring a friend) so please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to come (agrawal_alka@hotmail.com).

Alternatively, if someone would like to volunteer their apartment or house we could have a potluck dinner and accomodate more people. I will be away this Sunday through Tuesday so this needs to be finalized before Sunday.

It would be easiest if people brought cash, especially since this is a large group.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Alka

Dear Euroclub Members,

Please join us for our

European Club Movie Night on Saturday, Nov 17, 5pm.

We will watch the new James Bond movie "Skyfall" in the Boston Common Loew's theatre. After the movie we can go for Dim Sum in nearby Chinatown to discuss, mingle and chat.

The European Club provides subsidized movie tickets for 5$ per piece for the first ten sign-ups. These tickets will be given out strictly on first-come-first-served basis.

Because we expect this show to potentially sell out, please meet at 4:30pm in the theatre lobby to ensure that the entire group can get admitted.

To sign up and for further information, please email sven.loebrich@euroclub.mit.edu

For the European Club Executive Board,

Sven.

Discover Historic Salem

Dear Fellow Euro Club Members,
Now is the time to discover historic Salem, the one and only town in America that is well-known for its dark history of witch hunting, the spell-binding muse that has inspired the legendary literary genius Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his famous novel “The House of the Seven Gables,” and as well for being a tourist attraction for the ongoing Halloween tradition.
On Saturday, October 27th, everyone is invited to visit Salem to celebrate the Halloween holiday early. The meeting will be at one o’clock at the Salem Train Station. Once we meet, we will first head to the Witch Museum to learn about the history of the “Salem Witch Trials of 1692.”The entrance fees to enter the museum costs $9—so, please remember to bring with you some cash.
Afterwards, we will take a small break and have some coffee, and then we will head towards Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous home “The House of the Seven Gables.” On the way to Hawthorne’s house, you will see many of the dark puritan houses of this time period, the late 17th to 19th century buildings—so be prepared to see lots of great historical sites!
For those who are interested in attending the event, please contact me via email at tiraandrea1@hotmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you all.
Best Regards,
Tira

Discover Historic Concord
Dear fellow Euro Club Members,
Now that autumn has arrived and the leaves are turning vibrant red and yellow colors, this is the moment to reflect back towards the past, thereby discovering the historic architectural splendors of Concord and its rich history. On Saturday, October 13th everyone is invited to Concord. The meeting is at one o’clock at the Concord Station.  We will first head towards the Minute Man National Historic Park and then walk on the Battle Road Trail towards Hartwell Tavern, home of Elizabeth and Ephraim Hartwell and their twelve children. Afterwards we will take a break with a warm cup of coffee in town and then go to the wildlife sanctuary to view birds, muskrats, and other species. For those who have never been to Concord, this is a great opportunity to learn about the American Revolution and to visualize the past by hiking the Minute Man Trail and walking around the picturesque little town of Concord.
Please contact me at tiraandrea1@hotmail.com and let me know if you are willing to attend this event.
Cheers,
Tira
 

Dear Euroclubbers,

as part of the European Club's official 2012 Summer Program we are organizing a bicycle excursion to Nahant this

Monday, September 3rd (that's the Labor Day Holiday).

Nahant is a peninsula formed by two joint islands that are connected to the main land by a dam, located in Lynn bay, a few miles north of Boston. It covers a total of 3 square kilometers and reaches an elevation of 15m above sea level. Although 15 meters doesn't sound like much, Nahant is very hilly and the bike ride over the island has to be considered intermediate to strenuous. This bike trip is not suited for beginners.

We will start out at MIT's Stata center at 11am (at the intersection of Vassar and Main Streets, between the Koch cancer center and the STATA entrance). From there we will ride through the newly opened connector bikeway from North Point park to Charlestown and pass by Bunker Hill memorial. From Charlestown we will make our way through East Somerville over the Mystic River to Chelsea, then crossing over the Chelsea River into East Boston. Finally, we will go up along the shoreline to Lynn bay were we reach the dam to Nahant after a total of 17 miles.

On Nahant, we will sit together for a nice picnic on the premises of the Northeastern University Marine Science Center, a place that offers spectacular views over the shoreline of Cape Ann. After the picnic we will ride our bikes to Nahant's legendary 40-steps beach. This beach is a pebble beach, accessible only through wooden stairs. The 40 steps lead to an enclosed bay were warm seawater gets trapped during the summer to offer an exceptional ocean swim experience to its visitors. There are no changing rooms at 40-steps beach. Please be advised to bring a large towel for changing clothes the American way.

After the swim we will go to "Tides Restaurant and Pub" for refreshments and bathroom break, Nahant's only restaurant.

For the ride back, exhausted riders may opt to take the commuter rail from Lynn Station into Boston, or may want to ride the Blue Line from Wonderland into town. Alternatively, riders are welcome to join me on the 17-mile return ride back to MIT.

The excursion will take around 5-6 hours, depending on how much time we choose to spend at picnic and swim. We should reach Boston just before dusk.

Please bring:
- your bike, helmet and headlight
- bike repair kit in case of flat tire (there hasn't been a single bike ride without equipment breaking!)
- items to share for picnic (keep in mind: hummus goes well with everything except hummus)
- bathing suit, towel and sunscreen
- some cash
- plenty of water

The weather forecast for Monday is warm and sunny, ideal for a bike ride and swim.

Due to practical considerations this trip is limited to 10 participants. As always, first-come-first-serve policy applies.
If you are interested in joining the bike ride, please email sven.loebrich@euroclub.mit.edu and provide your cell phone number for contacting you before and during the trip.

For the European Club Executive Board,
Sven.

Dear European Club Members,

I am planning a hike to Mt. Manadnock for Sunday August 12 and am writing to see who is interested in joining. This hike is suitable for anyone in reasonable shape but is probably NOT suitable for a complete novice and will be limited to 20 participants.

It has been said that Mt. Monadnock is the second most hiked mountain in the world after Mt. Fuji in Japan.  Whatever the case may be, if you look around the summit on a summer day, you'll see scores of kids and adults enjoying the fine views from this very popular peak.  The top half of the mountain is characterized by big slabs and boulders of rock that are fun to climb over.  There are many trails of varying levels of difficulty so there is something here for everyone.   I plan to hike up the "White Cross Trail" , enjoy a picnic lunch at the summit, and then return either the same way or via the "White Dot Trail".    The hike should take 5-6 hours including breaks.

Trail Map:  http://www.nhstateparks.org/uploads/pdf/MonadnockHikingTrailsMap_All_2010.pdf

Please email me (vijaym@yahoo.com) with the following if you are interested in joining:

1)  Are you able to drive and are you willing to take passengers? Passengers please expect to contribute about $15/$20  for drivers

2) Have you participated in any hikes recently?  Which ones?

3) Do you have hiking boots and wicking base layers for clothing (NOT cotton)?. Please review the suggested supplies and hiking safety tips at

 http://hikesafe.com/index.php?page=gear-list.  

Essentials: Water (at least 2L), snacks, picnic lunch, sunscreen , bug spray, sunglasses/hat if you need

4) Are you willing to have FUN?

Picnic and Free Concert at Boston's Hatch Memorial Shell

Dear European Club Friends,

Please join us for a visit to the Hatch Memorial Concert Shell at the Boston Esplanade.

The Landmarks Orchestra is performing on Wednesdays between 7pm and 9pm, free of charge. It is a great opportunity to enjoy a picnic at the river around sunset time, chat and mingle with friends, and listen to classical music. Tomorrow's program is themed "River":

The Moldau by Bedřich Smetana
The River by Duke Ellington
Symphony No. 3 Rhenish by Robert Schumann
On the Beautiful Blue Danube by Johann Strauss

We will meet at the green in front of the Hatch Shell at 6:30pm tomorrow, Wednesday July 25.

Suggestions for stuff you might want to bring:

Picnic blanket, varied picnic food to share with the group, a sweater.

Please note that alcoholic beverages are NOT permitted on the Esplanade.

If you are interested in joining, please email sven.loebrich@euroclub.mit.edu

For the European Club Executive Board,

Sven.