Meet Natalie Pretzman
I am fortunate to have been raised by parents who knew the value of traveling and exploring new cultures. My first experience abroad was to London and Paris in 1998, and then to Japan in 2005. Both trips were eye-opening to me, and gave me the travel bug at a young age! As part of a high school choir trip in 2006, I performed at multiple iconic cathedrals in Austria, including the Melk Abbey and Salzburg Cathedral. In 2009, while an undergrad at Ohio State, I spent 4 months in Greece participating in a still-active archaeological dig at the ancient site of Isthmia, near Corinth.
I have since experienced Italy, Austria, Germany, Hungary, France, Spain, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Panama, Morocco, many Caribbean islands…as for Greece, I cannot help returning year after year.
I studied History of Art and German as an undergrad at the Ohio State University, and earned a Masters in Art history and Museum Studies at Case Western Reserve University. Subsequently, I also completed a few years at OSU’s History of Art doctoral program, specializing in 19th-century art. Art has always been a very big part of my life, and many of my personal trip itineraries are focused on the great museums, galleries, and ancient ruins of the world. Music and dance is also an important influence on me, so I always love to take in local concerts and performances wherever I may be visiting, especially opera and ballet.
Aside from traveling and art history, I enjoy video games, kpop, birdwatching, cooking, and gardening. I’m also a voracious reader, though my tastes trend towards the classics, travel memoirs, and niche critical theory rather than contemporary lit. My favorite authors are Henry Miller, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Baudelaire, Jorge Luis Borges, and Hermann Hesse.
I’m looking forward to a two week trip through Belgium in fall of 2023, and a Virgin Voyages cruise to the Spanish islands in 2024.
My Favorite trips
Singing in a choral festival in Austria for the 250th birthday celebration of Mozart
Participating in an archaeological dig near Ancient Corinth in Greece
Going to the Vatican for Easter Mass
Sledding down a snowy glacier in the Bavarian alps in the middle of summer
Swimming with sea turtles in Barbados
Getting lost in the ancient medina of Fes
Taking in the sobering expanse of Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc in Normandy
Attending an authentic Romani flamenco performance in Granada, Spain
Visiting the famous grand cafes of Vienna
My Travel Bucket List
Mongolia, Portugal, Morocco and Tunisia, Vietnam and Cambodia, Scandinavia, Jordan and Egypt, Costa Rica, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Argentina, Germany’s Christmas markets, New Years Eve celebrations in Vienna
Contact Natalie: natalie@grandviewtravel.com