Voluntourism in Ghana

Whether it’s souvenirs they buy in the local market, or experiences they recall for a lifetime, most travelers want to take home something that reminds them of destinations they’ve touched. 

Some are taking home even more these days by giving back to nations and communities they visit.

 “There are amazing benefits for those interested in volunteering overseas,” says govoluntouring.com founder Aaron Smith. “Not only is there a sense of fulfillment, which may be hard to explain to those that haven’t gone yet, but there is a deeper cultural connection. It comes from learning. It comes from meeting new people, sharing challenges, and knocking down the walls of prejudice and stereotypes.” 

Voluntourism blends volunteer efforts with traveling abroad say those who advocate it. And those who participate are sometimes surprised at how much they get back from giving of themselves. It’s a way to build human bridges across the chasms of ethnic, political and religious divisions that contribute to the world’s problems. Projects range from engagement for a few hours to several days or even weeks. 

Even luxury-loving cruisers are getting in on the voluntourism trend worldwide as cruise companies and cruise organizers combine onboard relax and pamper with optional giveback projects ashore. These might include beach cleanup or building/repairing infrastructure in a port. Some cruises incorporate fundraising events into the floating itinerary, such as an onboard walkathon at sea to benefit a charity. Other voluntour cruises are arranged by groups who charter the ship specifically for the purpose of doing projects along the way – like delivering supplies to impoverished countries. 

For many faith and ministry groups, voluntourism is nothing new. But it’s on the grow with these organizations. 

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) inNew York Cityorganizes cross-cultural group programs for high school, college and rabbinical students to learn, serve and travel in Africa, Asia and theAmericas. AJWS partners with grassroots organizations to meld education, community connections and tourism as it honors its objectives of promoting human rights, equality and social justice. 

“We’ve been sending groups for many years to Ghana,” says Alexis Kort, program officer for summer programs, “to do things like build infrastructure in communities. Besides the projects we do, we take groups to visit slave fortresses so they learn about the slave trade history and how it impacted the country they are in. We also go into national parks for activities like canopy walks in the jungle or visits to animal sanctuaries. We also have Shabbat with local Jewish communities – this is all very meaningful and educational for young people.”  Kort added that AJWS programs are not meant for Jewish people to go abroad and just hang out with other Jews. “While we might have Shabbat with local Jews in a country we are in, our purpose is to serve all those need our help.” 

Faith travelers may mine their own ministry organizations for ways to help. Or, they can find opportunities through national tourism organizations such as the Jordan Tourism Board North America (JTBNA). 

The range of Jordan’s options include these: 

• Wadi Musa Handicapped Society – The center provides academic and vocational training for children who are physically or mentally handicapped. Visitors may help in classes with handicrafts, music and other activities with language translators on hand.
• Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature – This non-governmental organization conserves and manages Jordan’s wilderness areas and has projects for volunteers that range from helping locals create herb farms to doing bird and wildlife censuses.
• Abraham Path/Al Ayoun Hiking Trail – this multi-faith, multi-cultural hiking trail is now being surveyed and a portion near the Ajloun Nature Reserve is already in use. Volunteers are needed to build infrastructure and help acquaint rural Jordanians about benefits they’ll receive from development of the trail. 

Malia Asfour, JTBNA director, is a voluntourism advocate who believes the concept is a traveler’s ticket to meaningful hands-on experiences in Jordan. 

“It is a concept that we’re working on promoting as a means of enriching the travel experience in Jordan,” says Asfour. “Visitors go beyond the adventures of sightseeing to more meaningful experiences of engaging with the communities themselves.”

Armenia’s Geghard monastery

Ancient stone walls hang off cliffs overlooking the beautiful Azat River Gorge inArmenia. Grounds of the Geghard Monastery hold monastic cells and several small churches, cut from surrounding rock during the 11th century. Visitors can almost hear the chanting monks whose pious steps have worn valleys into the stone steps. 

Towering cliffs surround the Geghard at the head of the Azat valley. The monastery dates to the 4th century, according to tradition by St Gregory the Illuminator who led his people into Christianity. Arabs destroyed the first enclave in the 9th century, but another was flourishing by the 13th century. Its relics – such as the spear which had wounded Christ as He hung on the Cross – drew pilgrims for centuries and fame to the site. Relics of the Apostles Andrew and John were added in the 12th century.

 But there’s more to Armenia’s contributions to Christian heritage than ancient monasteries in beautiful settings. 

This country which lies west of Turkey between Eastern Europe and Western Asia was the first to adopt the Christian faith in 301 A.D. several years before Constantine I declared it the Roman Empire’s official religion. Yet it’s best known today today for the tragic genocide its people endured in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, not for its role in establishing the early Church.

As the Christian world prepares to celebrate 1,700 years of the faith in 2013, Armenia deserves attention and visits by faith travelers excited by a “new” destination that’s thousands of years old. Even though it’s usually not included in that regional fold called the “Holy Land,” it should be.

Armenia’s population remains 94% Christian – far greater than in western countries like the U.S. The Armenian Apostolic Church, the original church, continues to be independent of both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches because it rejected early church splits and controversies. It traces its foundation to Jesus’ apostles, Bartholomew and Thaddeus. 

Although the Soviets tried to stamp out Christianity in Armenia by destroying many churches and sites through most of the 20th century, they were not successful. The people held onto their faith in secret, and when the Soviet Union fell, they set about rebuilding and adding churches such as a new cathedral in the capital city of Yerevan for 2,500 worshippers. 

So what engages the faith traveler in Armenia? 

For one thing, it’s the stories of the people’s faith resilience through centuries of onslaught, including the Russian Czar’s attempts in the late 19th century to force the people to assimilate their ancient Armenian Apostolic Church into the Russian Orthodox tradition. 

The stalwart walls, arches, and compartments of UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Geghard Monastery associated with Christianity are the headline attractions, as are arresting views of Mount Ararat – the resting place for Noah’sArkfollowing the Great Flood as recorded in Genesis, Chapter 8. 

Other faith heritage sites include the cathedral of Echmiadzin and the archaeological site of Zvartnots; the monasteries of Sanahin and “Haghpat” – which means “strong walls” in Armenian. Strong walls indeed. Begun in 967, those walls have been chiseled and changed by succeeding generations, and they’ve withstood onslaughts by Egyptian Mameluks, Kurds, Turks, Mongols, Ottomans, Persians, Russians. . .and others. Religious murals and paintings were mostly removed in the Soviet era, yet remnants do remain. 

Armenia’s pleasing what else for the traveler includes connections with the locals in voluntour projects, and tours of majestic alpine scenery and pristine highlands. The country’s cuisine and other cultural pieces reflect its crossroads locale along the Great Silk Road between Europe and Asia. That its culture has survived and thrived through the centuries pulls the traveler who finds soulful satisfaction in time travel and a touchpoint with the most ancient beginnings of Christianity. 

Trip planning and tour resources are available from the Armenian Tourism Development Agency (ATDA) and armeniainfo.am.  ATDA answers questions about lodging, transportation and things to do, as well as Armenian tour operators who work directly with travel agents and providers in North America and elsewhere.

Moses was the first tour leader

Rabbi Peter E. Tarlow is a busy man. He’s director of Texas A&M Hillel (foundation for Jewish campus life), a tourism safety expert, speaker and consultant, and founder of “Tourism & More Inc.,” his tourism security training firm.

Rabbi Tarlow’s recently offered his unique perspectives in an essay published in The Bryan-College Station Eagle about why he connects religion and tourism. As America celebrates National Tourism Month in May, Tarlow’s insightful comments about why we travel are especially timely.  

“I remind people that Moses was the first group tour leader, taking us on an extended 40-year journey across theSinai Peninsula,” said Tarlow. “I also note that the founder of the cruise industry was another Biblical character. Noah, whose name in Hebrew means: ‘to rest.’ Despite my tongue-in-check comments, the careful Biblical scholar knows there is much more that connects travel and tourism in faith.” 

And then there was Abraham, the first Hebrew or “ivri,” said Tarlow. “Today’s tourism is the child of those early Hebrews, he explains. “”The process continues in the Abrahamic tradition of caring for those who seek to explore and rejuvenate their souls.” 

As people of faith, Tarlow continues, we understand all of us are on a journey through life; all of us are tourists on this planet as it spins around our sun. 

“Tourism is much more than merely hotels and restaurants and fun and games,” he added. “It is the understanding that we are all brothers and sisters traveling on a mere rock through the seas of time.” 

Thanks, Rabbi Tarlow. Let’s all salute our friends in tourism, the $700 billion industry that is in the top five private employers in the country, with over 10 million workers. 

Keep on travelin’ and “mazal tov!!”

Leipzig's St. Thomas choir celebrates 800 years

 Any choir with 800 years of tradition and a director who was Johann Sebastian Bach is certainly worth celebrating. Throughout this year,Leipzig- one ofEurope’s major centers of music – is doing exactly that.  

The St. Thomas Boys’ choir is Leipzig’s oldest cultural asset. Bach was its most famous choirmaster during the years he  lived and worked in Leipzig from 1723 until his 1750 death. It’s one leg of THOMANA, the triad of St. Thomas Church (believing), St. Thomas Boys Choir (singing) and St. Thomas School (learning). 

Enter the church for one of this year’s events, and you’ll see and hear the organ the master Bach played. Celebrations will peak in September and October/November with Jubilee Weeks.  

Other musical giants also resided in Leipzig- Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy; Clara and Robert Schumann; and Richard Wagner.  

Mendelssohn’s home from 1835 to 1847 is open for tour.  Schumann Haus is another musical history stop for stories about Robert and Clara Schumann. The Museum of Musical Instruments is another must see for those with more than a passing interest in instrumentation.  The world’s oldest intact pianoforte is among the 5,000 pieces dating from the Middle Ages to the present. 

Leipzig also has significant modern political history. The city made its mark on history October 8, 1989, when a “Peaceful Revolution” occurred among 70,000 citizens who gathered in the city center to demand reforms from the East German communist regime.  They said prayers for peace inside St. Nicholas Church, the city’s oldest, and filled the streets in what the beginning of a grassroots movement to re-unify Germany.  Several riveting pieces of sculpture in the city center portray the people’s struggle for freedom.  

Students of the Cold War find theStasi Museum of great interest.  Exhibits reveal how the Stasi (secret police) of the former German Democratic Republic spied on the people.  The Leipzig Forum of Contemporary History in the heart of downtown is dedicated to the history of the old communist regime.  English labels are absent in both museums, but English brochures fill in some of the visual blanks.  

Boutiques and stores in the city’s center draw some visitors to buy or merely survey local merchandise. One of the most interesting areas for retailing is Specks Hof, a former exhibition district that now holds small shops and cafes to augment nearby department stores and the fresh Tuesday and Friday produce array inMarket Square. 

For more information about Leipzig’s celebration year, consult the German National Tourist Office at 212.661-7200 or www.germany-tourism.de. Concert and festival information are at www.bachfestleipzig.de  and www.thomana2012.com).

Cruise lines are adding more faith sites to itineraries.

As worldwide traveler interest in faith travel increases, the number of onboard opportunities to sail into pilgrimage and heritage touring are rising. 

Want to visit the Greek island of Patmos and site where the Apostle John received his End Times vision that he recorded in the Book of Revelation? Or perhaps an Alaska cruise with a leading Bible teacher or musical entertainer would be your this year’s choice?   

Several new Christian cruise ideas are available this season, and takers have the choice of floats organized by a leading pastor like Charles Stanley or Chuck Swindoll that are filled with gospel music, Bible teaching, and casino-free entertainment – or those by commercial cruise lines which sprinkle some heritage stops into their itineraries in Europe and the Mediterranean. 

One of the newest faith float players is Crystal Cruises which is offering its new Christian Heritage Tours. Travelers have the choice of nine new opportunities which include pilgrimage, mass, voluntourism (contributions to charitable works) and tours of architecture at ancient sites of religious renown. 

“This program expansion builds upon our incredibly popular Jewish heritage tours offered around the world,” says John Stoll, vice president of land and port operations. “Religious-related shore excursions are just one more way our guests can experience the unique history and culture of a destination and perhaps even connect with their own personal ancestry as well.” 

Through December of this year, there are some Crystal adventures to consider: 

Dubrovnik, Croatia: A pilgrimage toBosnia, where reported visions of the Virgin Mary have made Medjugorhe’s Apparition Hill a top sacred site for Catholic pilgrims. 

Barcelona, Spain: Attend private mass with Crystal’s onboard priest at Gaudi’s infamous Sagrada Familia. 

Lenes/Lofoten, Norway: Choose from three trips to see the 18^th century woodenRussian-style Flakstad Church. 

Sorrento, Italy: Assist the 400 year-old charity brotherhood of Pio Monte della Misericordia via a complimentary “You Care, We Care” voluntourism excursion. 

La Coruna, Spain: View the UNESCO World Heritage town of Santiago de Compostela from the rooftop of the largest Romanesque church in Spain. 

Southampton/London, England: See the carved, canopied choir stalls of the almost 1,000 year-old Winchester Cathedral, once the seat of Anglo-Saxon and Norman royal power. 

Globus Faith Travel has several religious programs for 2012, including a Footsteps of St. Paul itinerary that includes Greek island cruises. As one of the world’s most experienced travel companies, Globus offers religious travel which the company describes as “an enriching experience filled with fellowship, outreach, enhanced personal faith and divine memories.” 

Royal Caribbean (RCL) is offering cruise itineraries that touch heritage sites such as the medievalcastleof St. Peter in Bodrum,Turkey where a museum of underwater archaeology is a feature. RCL’s cruise roster also offers excursions in Scandinavia that include a visit to ancient Nordic-style church where artifacts date back several millennia. 

Dr. Charles Stanley, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, is doing his 25^th annual Alaska cruise in July with Templeton  Tours that includes major sites, Christian speakers and entertainers. The ship is Holland America’s ms Amsterdam. Among other cruises of interest to faith travelers is Premier Christian Cruises’ November Music Boat cruise in the Caribbean with entertainment by top Christian artists.

Autumn at The Cove

One of North America’s most beautiful corners can make a valuable deposit in your travel memory bank, especially if you combine it with spiritual retreat, fellowship and Bible study. 

Once upon a time, an American aristocrat named George Vanderbilt traveled from New Yorkto the North Carolina mountains in search of peace, contentment, and personal reset. George liked what he found there so much that he went about acquiring 120,000 acres near  Asheville and created his 250-room kingly country estate.  

George hired the premiere landscape artist (Frederick Law Olmstead) and architect (Robert Morris Hunt) of his day to create his French Loire Chateau. When the house was completed in 1895 after six years of construction, it held most of Vanderbilt’s considerable fortune with its walls. 

Biltmore House looks today very much like Vanderbilt left it, with its 16^th century tapestries, Durer drawings, thousands of rare books, furniture, and paintings by Sargent and Renoir awesomely intact. Over a million visitors a year pass through The Biltmore’s opulent doors to marvel at the rare treasures that fill the rooms and speak eloquently of the Gilded Age. Estate visitors also enjoy its extensive gardens, equestrian and other outdoor estate sports, winery, and seven dining venues. 

Outside the estate legacy George left behind, there’s everything the Asheville area offers – an eclectic arts and culture scene, some of the southeast’s standout lodgings, and the panoramic mountain scenery for enjoyment of hiking, river rafting, climbing and windshield touring. The Great Smokey Mountains National Parkand theBlue Ridge Parkwayare both nearby.

 The Cove 

Faith travelers have an additional lure just outside Asheville: The Cove, a 1,200-acre retreat and Bible study center established by Billy and Ruth Graham. 

Within its peaceful and inspiring woodland campus, The Cove and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association offer a year ‘round roster of seminars, musical events, personal retreats, and church leadership training. The property includes a 70,000 square-foot training center, two inns, a visitor center and the Chatlos Memorial Chapel. Tours of The Cove are available toAshevillevisitors who are not event participants. 

Lodging at The Cove’s inns currently range from $129 to $249 for standard rooms, rooms with balconies overlooking the mountains, and suites. The higher rates apply during autumn months when foliage color is at peak. 

Guest groups at The Cove may elect a per-person complete meeting price that covers meals and snacks, lodging, meeting space, wireless internet access, A/V services, and other group discounts. 

Participants in The Cove’s events may also choose lodging at one the Southeast’s legendary lodgings. The Grove Park Inn, with its century of history, destination spa, arts and crafts design, was the choice of notables such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and U.S.presidents, and it remains a headliner today. The Biltmore Inn is the contemporary answer to hospitality on the Vanderbilt estate that offers comfort and elegance in its rooms and suites.Asheville’s many smaller inns, charming B&Bs, and mountain cabins are also in the lodging mix. 

Out and About  

Biltmore House isn’t the only legacy Vanderbilt left the Asheville region.  His move to these southern mountains in the late 19th century attracted northeastern sophisticates to what was then rural backwater and opened the region to outsiders. Asheville became a sort of inclusive town that makes it different from many of its southern sisters.

 Alternative opinions and lifestyles continue to find tolerance here, and Baptists and New Agers co-exist at peace in these woods.  You can also find free thinkers from up north as well as Appalachian storytellers in the populace. 

Ashville’s crafts scene is eclectic too, and offers traditional mountain folk art alongside the most avant-garde fromEuropeand the Northeast. Look for the array in downtown galleries and artist’s studios along the nearby French Broad riverfront. 

The city’s Art Deco architecture is a draw as well. The building boom Vanderbilt put in motion lasted until the stock market crash of 1929, and much of what’s left from that era has been put to new use – like The Grove Arcade, where boutiques, restaurants and crafts galleries occupy the historic premises. 

Chimney Rock near Asheville

The surrounding North Carolinamountains are nonstop gorgeous in any season, and they pleasure scenery seekers as well as the most extreme adventure hounds.

 The Blue Ridge Parkway, a mountain drive with an average elevation of 3,000 feet, offers spectacular scenery as it passes through thick forests under the gaze of lush surrounding mountains.  And if the view from this highway lookout isn’t enough, you can head to the rocky granite tower that gave the 1,000-acreChimney Rock Park its name.  The rock is a 500- million year-old natural tower that soars 2,280 feet above sea level. 

The view from atop the rock is expansive, a patchwork of forests and mountains, valleys, and hamlets that stretch below in all directions. In fall, the colors in the landscape only add to the all-seasons natural attractions. On a clear day, you can see 75 miles, or maybe forever.  And the bonus part is – you don’t have to climb up for the view unless you want to.  A 26-story elevator will take you to pinnacle for perspective. 

About an hour’s drive fromAsheville is Grandfather Mountainin Linville, with elevations of over 5,000 feet.  Along the way, there are lots of opportunities to stop, look, and listen – to the people who have always lived in these hills, the views, wildlife, and birds that brought George Vanderbilt to this region.

Mont St Michel is a pilgrimage and heritage sentinel

It’s France’s most visited site outside Paris (about three million visitors annually) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s been beloved by faith travelers for centuries. 

Though it’s been beloved through the centuries as a pilgrimage site,  the visitor experience has changed in the past century with the advent of motorized vehicles and irrigation to create pasturelands. Instead of retaining its natural “floating” island setting, the mount has been enclosed by mud.

 On April 28, an ambitious restoration project to reclaim the maritime environment and improve visitor access to Mont St Michel – sometimes known as the “Marvel of the Western World” –is scheduled to complete. The French government has devoted nearly $200 million to building a dam that allows a nearby river to remove accumulated silt of a century, making it again a dramatic island sentinel by 2040. 

A new visitor car park about a mile away on the mainland will prevent vehicle stack-up at the base of the mount. Instead, environmentally-friendly shuttles will get visitors to the base. A new visitor center, built of traditional Norman granite design is also part of the project. 

Why isMont St. Michelso popular? Layers of history and spiritual connections have drawn visitors for centuries. It’s also an architectural marvel. And with the restoration, a renewed scenic beauty will draw many. 

Perched on a nearly 300-foot rock about a mile off the Normandy coast, Mont St. Michel was first a stronghold of power during the Romano-Breton period after the Romans left in 460 AD. The first monastic settled was established in the eighth century, when according to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared to a bishop in 708 and told him to build a church on the rocky islet. 

By 933, the mount was in the hands of the Normans, and it’s depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry (now displayed in aBayeux, Normandy museum) which commemorates the 1066 Norman conquest of England. The mount played a role in other wars, only to demise as a pilgrimage center following the Reformation. After the French Revolution, the abbey closed and became a prison. By 1836, the French poet and activist Victor Hugo was campaigning for the mount’s restoration in what he and others regarded as a national architectural treasure. In 1874, the mount was declared a historic monument and in 1979, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. 

Mont St. Michel's scriptorium

What visitors see today at Mont St Michel is a collection of buildings of varied design, created over several centuries. The abbey with its church and adjacent buildings called La Merveille date to the 13^th century. The Cloisters have 277 slender columns of pink granite, and offer spectacular sea views. The Knights Hall was the original scriptorium, or copying workshop. This was the gathering place for the Order of St. Michel, founded in 1469 by King Louis XI to compete with the English Order of the Garter and the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece. Members came from high nobility or military distinction. There’s also the Guest Hall, where lines of esteemed guests met at Mont St. Michel over the centuries. 

For more information about Mont St. Michel, visit franceguide.com (http://us.franceguide.com) . Train service from Paris is available to the nearbyvillage ofPontorson. Other standout sites in Normandy include the World War II D-Day landing beaches; Claude Monet’s home and gardens in Giverny; and charming seaside resort towns such as Deauville.

Mud bathing at the Dead Sea

Pilgrims and tourists who visit the Dead Sea soon will have more than mud packs, seaside resorts and Lot’s wife to call on. 

Coming in April is a new multi-million dollar museum on the Jordan side of the lake about one of the world’s most fascinating natural features. It’s all about the geological, human, and ecological history that spans many centuries. 

Located in Ghor es-Safi, Jordan, The Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth has a scheduled April opening very near the Byzantine era monastery that commemorates Lot’s cave and his flight from the wicked ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which God destroyed. 

Lot's Wife overlooks the Dead Sea

The Old Testament describes how Lot and his two daughters escaped the destruction and hid in a cave, butLot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt because she disobeyed God and looked back at the cities (Genesis 19). A natural formation on a hillside above the Dead Sea is tagged Lot’s wife pillar. Jesus Christ recalled the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Luke 17 when he warned “Remember Lot’s wife” and said that “it would be the same on the day the Son of Man is revealed,” meaning every person’s eternal destiny would hinge on their spiritual allegiance to God or something earthly.

The Dead Sea has also been called the “Sea of Arabah”, the “Salt Sea,” and the “Eastern Sea” in the Bible.  The Arab people have always known it as Bahr Lut (Lot’s Sea). The surface of theDead Seais at 1,312 feet below sea level, making it the lowest water surface on earth. The lake is 47 miles long and has a maximum width of about 10 miles.

The new museum’s permanent exhibition hall has four sections with different themes: Origins of theDead Sea; Eco-system; Man and the Dead Sea; and Will the Dead Sea Really Die? The Dead Sea’s conservation needs run throughout the exhibits, and the museum’s two documentary films, “Ecology of the Dead Sea” and “Dead Sea in Danger” contribute to the appeal. 

Ancient tombstones also contribute to the museum’s story. They were recovered from the region’s many cemeteries of Arab, Jewish and Christian communities of people who lived and died through the ages. There are also artifacts from the sugar industry that flourished during the Mamluk period (13^th-16^th centuries) in Zoar (nowSafi), as well as handicrafts and daily implements used by Bedouin and villagers who live in the area today. 

The Dead Sea has drawn pilgrims and tourists to its shores for centuries.  It’s bounded on the west by modern Israel and on the east by Jordan. Hotels and resorts populate the area, and visitors often indulge in spa mud therapies and sea floats in the mineral-laden water that keeps them afloat. 

The Dea Sea has no outlet, and fresh water evaporates quickly because of the hot desert climate. It is seven times more salty than the ocean. Fish cannot live in the water, and most other life forms perish there also. The sea’s chemical products such as potash, bromine, gypsum, and salt make the sea economically valuable, as does the growing health  resort industry.

San Miguel Mission Altar

 Planning a trip to the Golden State? 

California vacations often mean urban excitement, long and languid tours of the  Golden State’s beautiful beaches and rugged coastal scenery, along with winery visits and culinary adventures. 

For faith travelers, there’s even more cultural excitement on the state’s Spanish Mission Trail that stretches 600 miles from San Diego to Sonoma. The Franciscans built 21 missions between 1769 and 1823 along the legendary El Camino Real, a route that corresponds roughly to modern U.S. Highway 101. The padres’ objective was to convert the Indians to Christianity and in what was then Mexico’s territory.

 The mission era ended with Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1821, the gold rush in 1848, and  California statehood in 1850. Today, the missions stand as symbols of California’s cultural legacy, storehouses of art and archaeological artifacts, and repositories of stories romantic and real. Most (19 or the 21 churches) continue as active Catholic worship sites. Each has its own character and interest. Several are located in some of the state’s most spectacular scenery. 

Think about including some mission stops in your next California sojourn: 

Mission San Miguel – This mission is distinguished by its authenticity – it has the only surviving original church interior, accented by original Native American art. While the art in most other missions on the trail got modified or covered with plaster, San Miguel benefitted from neglect – nobody altered it. However, in December 2003, a 6.5 earthquake hitCalifornia’s central coast, and badly damaged San Miguel’s church and friars’ living quarters. A $12 million restoration followed, and the church reopened in 2009. What visitors experience today is transport back in time, something other missions may lack.  The nearby town or Paso Robles is popular with wine and food enthusiasts, and offers an old plaza, historic hotel and charming restaurants. 

Mission San Carlos Borromeo –Franciscan Father Junipero Serra founded the missions, and this was his headquarters. Established in 1770 as the second mission, San Carolos Borromeo was prominent  of the era. Today visitors see Sierra’s living quarters, and visit the chapel where he is buried. Museums honor Sir Harry Downie, restorer of the missions, and display artifacts of the period. 

San Juan Capistrano – Perhaps the most famous of the trail missions, this site was built in 1776, and is generally regarded as the birthplace of Orange County. It is halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles, and is known as the “miraculous” place where swallows return each year on March 19,Saint Joseph’s feast day. Besides its church and ten acres of gardens, there is the padres’ quarter, industrial area, soldiers barracks, and cemetery.

Mission Santa Barbara – “Queen of the Missions,” this site is on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the town ofSanta Barbara. It’s one of the trail’s most popular stops, and is unique because it’s the only mission that has remained under Franciscan control without interruption. In 1803, it had a population of over 1,700 people. Today it’s an active church, and has an Indian art room and an original missionary bedroom.

For more information and interesting facts about the missions, go here.

Petra Treasury by night

Jordan has its tourism spotlight on two major attractions this year as it marks anniversaries associated with Petra, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre of rose pink rock wonders, and Wadi Rum, the expansive and beautiful desert and mountain landscape that stars in the epic film, Lawrence of Arabia.

 Petra the Great 

During the time of Jesus and the Apostles, one of the eastern Mediterranean’s busiest trading centers was in the southern Jordan city ofPetra, the Nabatean Kingdom of lush gardens, temples and Roman-style villas cut from pink limestone rock and expansive valleys. 

Petra flourished from the third century B.C. to the early second century A. D. and was mentioned in the Old Testament under several possible names, including Sela and Joktheel (2 Kings 14:7). 

Tradition says Aaron, the brother Moses, died in Jordan and was buried in Petra at Mount Hor, now called Jabal Harun in Arabic (Mount Aaron). A Byzantine church and later an Islamic shrine/tomb of Aaron was built on the summit of the mountain which today attracts pilgrims. Aaron was the first High Priest of the Bible. Petra may have also been the last staging post of the three kings who took gifts to the baby Jesus inBethlehem. King Aretas (Cor. 11:32) was a Nabatean king who ruled Petra at the time of Jesus.

 By the 12^th century,Petra had been conquered by Muslim armies and faded from western awareness. But rumors of an ancient “lost” city persisted for about six centuries – until 200 years ago in 1812 when a young Swiss explorer – Johann Burckhardt – “rediscovered” the magnificent city and western explorers began to return. 

What they found were temple remnants, churches, monumental facades and tombs carved from hillsides – pieces that had survived earthquakes, floods and wars. In the past 200 years, archaeologists have learned enough about Petra and its glory days to catapult it to world prominence. In 2007, it was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. 

Petra may be enjoyed on many levels. It’s a favorite with adventure travelers who want to hike and climb its hillsides and with cultural travelers who revel in its history and natural beauty. A comprehensive tour of Petra requires days – it’s a big place. Most visitors stay a day or two. They enter through the Siq to access the iconic Treasury monument which was most likely a tomb. Further on, one comes upon the Great Temple, which may have been a major seat of Nabatean power. 

A number of church ruins have been found in Petra. During the Christian era at Petra(third and fourth centuries), tombs were turned into worship centers. In 1990, Kenneth W. Russell discovered a Byzantine church on the north slope of the Colonnade Street across from the Great Temple. Lying there are mosaic floors, marble screens, a baptismal tank and a room that was filled with scrolls, now known as the Petra Scrolls which are kept at theAmerican Center for Oriental Research in Amman. 

Tour Wadi Rum by camel or motor

Lawrence Legacy

Larger than life certainly applies to T.E. Lawrence, the British army officer whose activities during the Arab Revolt of 1916-18 and role in joining Arab irregular forces against the Ottoman Turks earned him the Lawrence of Arabia moniker. Myth and legend surround Lawrence, and the 1962 film starring Peter O’Toole romanticized many of his activities in the Middle Eastduring the World War I era and beyond. Among the missing facts are Lawrence’s archaeological explorations of the Middle East prior to the outbreak of war.

But the film released 50 years ago this year has its deserved place in movie history. It won several Motion Picture Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Much of the film was shot in Wadi Rum, Jordan’s expansive and beautiful desert valley near the Gulf of Aqaba. Its cinematography and storyline are unmatched. 

Visitors to Wadi Rum often choose camel and jeep safaris. Some also spend the night in traditional Bedouin tents at desert camps where staff serves campfire meals under the night stars. It’s a great way to get into the Lawrence legend, lore, and history because the landscape is timeless and so is the Bedouin culture that continues to survive the centuries.

For more information on travel to Jordan, go here.