Portugal river cruise reservation deadline reminder and update
Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 8:58am - Sat, Nov 7, 2020, 5pm
The UMRA Travel Committee would like to remind members of the March 1 reservation deadline for our Douro River cruise.
Call Road Scholar toll free at 833-810-6427, reference Program #23416, Discoveries Along the Douro: Portugal’s Best-Kept Secrets, October 28 to November 7, 2020, and note that you are a member of the University of Minnesota Retirees Association. They will answer any questions you might have, discuss cabin options, register you, and take your down payment. We have reserved 16 cabins exclusively for UMRA, 12 double and 4 singles on the upper and middle decks.
You may also book your international flights through Road Scholar. Their estimated roundtrip airfare from Minneapolis is $1,200. Or, if you prefer, book your own flights.
Our previously announced, optional pre-cruise tour of Lisbon has been changed to a post-cruise tour. Details of this customized, five-day tour of Lisbon produced by Road Scholar exclusively for UMRA members will be available in early February. The optional post-cruise tour of Lisbon will start November 7 and end November 12 with return to Minneapolis.
Please contact Cherie Hamilton at 612-929-0233 or [email protected] if you are interested in the Lisbon tour. The estimated cost will be $1,099 for double occupancy and $1,449 for single. We will need at least 10 members to sign up for this option.
Final payment for the Portugal trip will be due July 20.
—Cherie Hamilton, chair, UMRA Travel Committee
Upcoming Events
52 Loaves: One Man's Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust by William Alexander will be the selection for discussion when the UMRA Book Club gathers via Zoom for its first monthly meeting of 2026.
Developing a sense of identity is a central psychological task of the lifespan. Memories and stories from our personal past, as well as cultural memories and stories in society play key roles in how we develop our identities. This presentation will discuss psychological theory and research on how memories and stories make us who we are.
When you are of Icelandic descent you can trace your ancestors back to around 1200 and sometimes further.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Here’s another great opportunity to buy discounted tickets and join your UMRA friends to cheer for the Gophers when the Women’s Basketball team hosts the Purdue Boilermakers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on February 1.
Join fellow UMRA members for a morning hike in Theodore Wirth Park to celebrate Groundhog Day on Monday, February 2.
UMRA’s special event for this winter will again be a celebration of brighter days and the approaching end of winter. We’ll have food, fellowship, and music provided by Urban Sound, one of the University’s premier student a cappella ensembles.
"One color" is the theme for the meeting of the UMRA Photo Club on Tuesday, February 10.
Family history with Jim Kurle. A tale of Swedish emigration to Dunn County, North Dakota including my grandfather, whose unusual relationship to several churches, and religion in general, was one of the reasons for his emigrating.
UMRA’s Cabinets of Curiosity tour on Thursday, February 12, will offer an inside look into the rich resources of the University Libraries Borchert Map Library. Map Librarian Ryan Mattke will showcase the treasures and innovations of one of the largest map libraries in the U.S.
Well-known Twin Cities-based financial journalist and economics commentator Chris Farrell will be the featured guest for UMRA’s February 17 Living Well Workshop via Zoom. He will discuss why and how the current generation of older Americans is not following the traditional retirement pattern of a relaxed lifestyle.
UMRA's Book Club I will discuss Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother's Life. Author is Kao Kalia Yang. Discussion leader is Linda Lindeke.
Renee Alexander’s first job at the Great Minnesota Get-Together was as an intern in 1989. She took over the top job in 2023, following the 26-year tenure of her predecessor.
Growing Up by Russell Baker.
Family history with Michelle Casey.