Hello World Travelers,
The last time we were together in September, Many of you had some exciting travel plans for the fall. Look forward to hearing about your adventures, both completed & upcoming trips.
A reminder about our next TCC Eastern Canada meeting, our third and final get together of 2015 scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5, at noon at The Hive office (544 King St. West in Toronto).
As usual, we will arrange for a light lunch with a nominal charge. Please be kind enough to RSVP your attendance to me in the immediate future so we can plan refreshments accordingly.
We have a slight change of plan for our meeting, as our guest speaker, photojournalist Jonathan van Bilsen, has unfortunately had to reschedule his visit with us as his work travel schedule sees him out of the country on the 5th.
No worries though, as we have a very interesting meeting planned where we can all participate.
Most of you are aware from your travels that many of our planet’s outstanding cultural and natural treasures are fortunate to have the coveted designation of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This prestigious list includes some of the most famous places in the world, such as the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and Machu Picchu in Peru. The World heritage list now includes 1,031 sites in over 145 countries. UNESCO’s mandate is to identify, protect and preserve cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.
We have all had experiences at UNESCO sites. Earlier this year, Jane and I were fortunate to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines in Poland, where we took a picture of a UNESCO plaque – 100 meters below the surface in an underground chapel (one of 2,000 carved rooms) surrounded by statues, churches and alters all made out of salt.
For our meeting on the 5th, I will do an introductory presentation on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, then we all have a chance to share a memory, photo and a story of our favorite UNESCO site visit or visits. If you haven’t already done so, you might want to take a minute and count the number of sites you have visited via the UNESCO link below.
Look forward to seeing everyone on the 5th. If you haven’t been to a meeting for a while, please plan to join us as we share the passion of world travel!
Warm regards,
—Rick Shaver, Eastern Canada Chapter Coordinator
