Travelling can open a window out onto the world around us and into our selves. Two of our trips this autumn maybe offer a little more of one or the other:
TAKING YOUR SOUL FOR A STROLL: 160 km along the Camino de Santiago
October 15- 27, 2013
On our 11-day walk along the Camino de Santiago through the exquisite and varied landscape of northern Spain, we invite you to Take Your Soul for a Stroll. Walking the Camino offers the chance to slow down, to wander a bit, away from the daily demands and endless decisions we are required to make each day. You’ll meet people from all over the world, of different ages and levels of strength and stamina, drawn to walk this ancient pilgrimage route for as many reasons as there are walkers.
Our trip is not arduous for those who are reasonably fit. You can walk at your own pace, joining along with others or finding some time alone. You’ll enjoy fabulous daily lunchtime picnics of local fare, and each evening you’ll find rest and refreshment at comfortable accommodations in beautiful heritage properties.
The group will be accompanied on the walk by a terrific local art and architectural historian who knows every step of the Camino, and who will share its lore and its legends. Best of all, you’ll experience the growing camaraderie among a small group of people who may walk separately from one another during the day, but who come together each evening and get to know one another better through discussions of short pilgrimage-related texts. Long-time Classical Pursuits discussion leader and inveterate walker Gary Schoepfel will be with you every step the way.
TALKING TURKEY—Where East Meets West
November 2-13, 2013
Where our walk on the Camino might encourage a quiet look inward, our November trip to Turkey will rouse you to take in, experience and seek to understand. Turkey straddles East and West, old and new, with a magnificent and exotic past, a vibrant and exciting present—and, one of the world’s best cuisines.
Turkey is one of the most physically beautiful and hospitable countries we’ve visited. The people are warm and open. They have a rich tradition that honours the visitor and guest. They go out of their way to help you find a restaurant or the proper bus stop to your destination.
On our trip, you’ll experience vibrant, urban Istanbul and the unique lunar landscape of Cappadocia, with enough time in each to get behind the scenes. We’ve arranged lots of encounters with Turkish citizens and long-time ex-pats, including Ustun Bilgen-Reinart, a Turkish-Canadian professor and memoirist who lives part-time in Cappadocia. Discussion of some terrific literature –Louis de Bernier’s Birds Without Wings and Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul—will help give insight into Turkey’s pivotal role in history and how the Turks view themselves.
In addition to the company of our always-affable and inquisitive discussion leader Gary Schoepfel and our local Turkish guides, you’ll have the pleasure to be joined by Victor Levin, long-time friend of Classical Pursuits, who served in the Peace Corps in Turkey and knows the country well.
To avoid disappointment, contact us now for more information at 1.800.387.1483.
We would love to have the pleasure of your company.
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June G.
Attendee since 2013