Religious Sites

“ARMENIA & GEORGIA”

15-day, 14-night photography tour in the Caucasus, Sept. 16-30, 2017. Highlights: In Tbilisi, Georgia, 4th-century Narikala Castle, frescoes of Sioni Cathedral/in Kutaisi, 11th-century Bagrati Cathedral/in Yerevan, Armenia, Genocide Museum/Church of Khor Virap at the foot of Mt. Ararat/Tatev Monastery/ancient Noratus Cemetery. From New York (via Munich), $5,995 ppdo. Single supp., $1,150. In Focus with Michele Burgess (Huntington Beach, CA; 714/536-6104, www.infocustravel.com).

Karelia with Nordic Travel

The Republic of Karelia lies in northwestern Russia along the border of Finland. A friend and I, both senior women, toured the area at the end of June 2016.

Through Patriarshy Dom Tours (Vspolnyy per., 6, Moskva; phone +7 495 795 09 27, www.toursin russia.com), a travel agency that a friend of mine in Moscow recommended, we had booked the 6-day, 5-night “Grand Karelia Tour” offered by Nordic Travel (26 Kuybysheva St., Rm. 100, 185035 Petrozavodsk, Russia; www.nordictravel.ru).

Tibet, China, with Ceylon Express

China had been on my list for a while, but it wasn’t until my husband, Jerry, saw a Viking Cruises brochure that included Tibet that we became inspired. On a trip to Bhutan in 2006, we had heard a great deal about Tibet’s being the source of Bhutan’s Buddhism, so we wanted to learn more about Tibet.

Denpō-in temple garden, Tokyo

The item “Horseback Archery, Tokyo” (Feb. ’17, pg. 4) mentioned the Yabusame festival in Asakusa, which is a district in Tokyo’s Taitō ward. During a visit to Japan, we visited Sensō-ji, an ancient Buddhist temple in Asakusa. Although we’ve visited the temple often, that 2014 visit provided us a new treat.

Mountains, monasteries and museums – a guided tour of the Caucasus

Zion's Church, Ilulissat, Greenland

One of the northernmost churches in the world, Zions Kirke (Zion's Church), is located approximately 220 miles north of the Arctic Circle in western Greenland. The subject of our January 2017 mystery photo, the church, built in 1782 and restored in 1907, is in the town of Ilulissat, next to Disko Bay.

To cover its building costs, local residents collected dozens of whales and over 200 barrels of whale oil between 1777 and 1779. Over a century later, part of the church was turned into a hospital. In 1929, the building was moved inland and expanded.

Impressive Iran

Hallstatt church bouncers

In central Austria, the town of Hallstatt hired bouncers to prevent tourists from entering the town’s two churches during services after locals complained that travelers were being interruptive by taking photos, even during funerals. The churches are open for visits when not in service.

Hallstatt has become particularly popular with Chinese tourists due to a replica of the town having been built in Guangdong in 2012.

Norman Palermo (Part 2 of 2)

(Second of two parts)

A remarkable journey to Japan

When an ad in ITN for a trip to Japan piqued my interest, I immediately emailed Michie Taylor, who offers guided tours to her native country. She immediately responded, and so began a remarkable and unique journey.

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