Join Sue from the Vermilion County History Museum as she guides us through a Victorian Christmas.

Land of giant tortoises, sea iguanas, and multi-colored birds. Giant tortoises are raised at a breeding center, and when 4 years old they are released back onto the islands. See the Galapagos penguins standing on the rocks or swimming. Sea lions lay on the path and you are to walk around them.  The little lava lizards were everywhere and generally not afraid of people. The Galapagos are a paradise for bird and animal watchers.  Since the islands are on the equator, we were constantly crossing the equator which meant it would be spring one day and fall the next - though always between 75 and 85 degrees.  The National Park system tries to keep the commercial fishermen out, but the local people can fish for themselves.  A big task is to eradicate the goats, dogs, cats, donkeys, and rats that have infested the islands. 

Travel to Athens and the spectacular Acropolis. Then to Delphi and Corinth, Greece. The Apostle Paul was a tent maker in Corinth. Julius Caesar planned to cut a canal at Corinth but his assassination stopped that. The canal was completed by the Greeks in 1893. We’ll stop at Olympia where the Olympic Games began. The modern Olympic Torch is lit here. Travel to Ephesus, Turkey, to see the ruins of the Temple of Artemis and the library. Ephesus was an important city when Paul worked there. Paul wrote to the people of Cappadocia though he did not visit there, but we will. We will see the caves in Cappadocia where people lived 2000 years ago along with cave churches.

We are fortunate to have David Kroese, author of Centennial Journey, to walk us through the National Park System and enjoy beautiful pictures.

Visit Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral formation in the world. Travel to Ularu, formerly Ayers Rock, considered by Australia’s original people to be sacred – a bit like the Garden of Eden. Contrast the magnificent Opera House at Sydney with the sites of the gold rush that followed the American gold rush of 1849. Kangaroos blending into the landscape, elusive koalas, and 12” tall Fairy Penguins are part of the native animals you will see as you travel the varied landscape of Australia.   

The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands. See the rare giant Aldabra tortoises. More tortoises live here than in the Galapagos. No people lived on the Seychelles until Europeans came in the 1500’s. One of the 115 islands was once owned by George Harrison of the Beetles. In Mozambique, we will visit a unique safari park owned by a Swiss man and his wife who is from India. They hire 100 people, half of whom are guards against theft and poaching. Madagascar is the only place on the planet where we see lemurs in the wild. In addition, more than half of the world’s known chameleon species are native ti Madagascar.