Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
With a local guide, like Aziz in Morocco, you'll learn more than just where to get the
best tea.
German soldiers on every corner. Nor-
way's resistance fi ghters took to the
snowy mountains, coordinating with
brave townspeople smuggling children
to safety. Even with the vastly stron-
ger occupying force, Thor told how
his country's national spirit remained
strong until that glorious day when
the king returned and Norwegian fl ags
fl ew happily again. As Thor brought
the mural to life, I wondered what I
would do to win back a freedom lost.
In Northern Ireland, my guide
Stephen was determined to make his
country's struggles vivid. In Belfast, he
introduced me to the Felons' Club—
where membership is limited to those
who've spent at least a year and a day
in a British prison for political crimes.
Hearing heroic stories of Irish resis-
tance while sharing a Guinness with a
celebrity felon gives you an ai nity for
their struggles. Walking the next day
through the green-trimmed gravesites
of his prison-mates who starved them-
selves to death for the cause of Irish
independence capped the experience
powerfully.
El Salvador's history is so tragic
and fascinating that anyone you talk
to becomes a tour guide. My Salva-
doran guides with the greatest impact
were the “Mothers of the Disap-
peared,” who told me their story while
leafi ng through humble scrapbooks
showing photographs of their sons'
bodies—mutilated and decapitated.
Learning of a cruel government's
actions with those sad mothers left
me with lifetime souvenirs: a cynicism
about many governments (you can tell
by their actions who they really repre-
sent) and an empathy for underdogs
courageously standing up to their
leaders when necessary.
Tourists can go to Prague, Norway,
Ireland, and Central America and learn
nothing of a people's struggles. Or
they can seek out opportunities to con-
nect with people (whether professional
guides or accidental guides) who can
share perspective-changing stories.
