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Unlikely Pilgrim: A Journey into History and Faith
Two middle-aged men, fast friends, make eleven foreign trips―pilgrimages you might call them―to parts of the world rich in the history of Christianity. The trips combine adventure, strenuous physical activity, exhilaration, discovery, and friendship.
Three of the journeys were to Western Europe; six were to Eastern Europe and the Balkans and two to the Middle East. The trips were spontaneous and unplanned, often requiring improvisation along the way. Told in a lighthearted and often amusing style, An Unlikely Pilgrim provides a vivid and colorful picture of parts of the world often out of the range of American tourists, but deep in both ancient and current geopolitical, historical, and cultural wealth.
Three of the journeys were to Western Europe; six were to Eastern Europe and the Balkans and two to the Middle East. The trips were spontaneous and unplanned, often requiring improvisation along the way. Told in a lighthearted and often amusing style, An Unlikely Pilgrim provides a vivid and colorful picture of parts of the world often out of the range of American tourists, but deep in both ancient and current geopolitical, historical, and cultural wealth.
229 pages, Hardcover
Published March 26, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 2, 2020
A friend of ours, who has been doing book reviews for the Phila Inquirer for decades, recommended this fine book...
Delightful read of 2 friends. An American lawyer with a career in business, politics, journalism, and a British academic and diplomat with a Ph.D. in theology - journey through the Balkans, Western & Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Each chapter tells the story of one of their 11 pilgrimages. Each trip was relatively unplanned and took them to places (walking, cycling, train) along paths that tourists rarely tread. They were very laid back in their travel "plans" but were able to stay inside ancient monasteries, old castles, hostels, and homes which gave them an understanding of these communities that we will never experience. The descriptions of the folks along the way, as well as the buildings and topography, were fascinating. I read a chapter every night.
The trips begin at Mount Athos, Greece June 1996 in an Eastern Orthodox monastery dating back to the 10th century. Their last journey was in Greece June 2017 following the Via Egnatia - the first road to connect Asia and Europe (built 200 years before Christ). The author and his friend stated the trips provided an incomparable lesson of faith, of history, of culture and even of current affairs and politics and of the people responsible for it.
Lovely book. The cover states "A journey into history and faith."
Delightful read of 2 friends. An American lawyer with a career in business, politics, journalism, and a British academic and diplomat with a Ph.D. in theology - journey through the Balkans, Western & Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Each chapter tells the story of one of their 11 pilgrimages. Each trip was relatively unplanned and took them to places (walking, cycling, train) along paths that tourists rarely tread. They were very laid back in their travel "plans" but were able to stay inside ancient monasteries, old castles, hostels, and homes which gave them an understanding of these communities that we will never experience. The descriptions of the folks along the way, as well as the buildings and topography, were fascinating. I read a chapter every night.
The trips begin at Mount Athos, Greece June 1996 in an Eastern Orthodox monastery dating back to the 10th century. Their last journey was in Greece June 2017 following the Via Egnatia - the first road to connect Asia and Europe (built 200 years before Christ). The author and his friend stated the trips provided an incomparable lesson of faith, of history, of culture and even of current affairs and politics and of the people responsible for it.
Lovely book. The cover states "A journey into history and faith."
December 5, 2021
Interesting experiences. A few keen observations. Like average vanilla ice cream: It's okay but doesn't wow one.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews