This morning I left home on a two-week trip. Even though I'll spend the next two weeks traveling for work, it is still a pilgrimage of sorts. But recently Christianity Today posted a list of "modern sites that evoke the sacred." They suggested visiting these places might be a great way to spend time away from home. The ones which appealed to me the most were (in order of priority):
First, the Kilns or L'Abri. Here's what they said: "C.S. Lewis' Oxford home (which now houses the C.S. Lewis Foundation's Scholars in Residence Program) is not quite public; tours are by appointment only. But several local guides will take you along Addison's Walk, to the Inklings' Eagle and Child pub, the church where Lewis delivered The Weight of Glory, and the resting place of Lewis and Joy Davidman. Alternative site: Francis Schaeffer's L'Abri in Huemoz sur Ollon, Switzerland."
Second, Taize. According to Christianity Today, "With 100,000 annual visitors, many of them young, the French community continues the work of Brother Roger, who founded it in 1940 and was murdered in 2005. While the atmosphere evokes a mix of summer camp and monastic cloister, Taize has a surprising passion to connect its visitors back to their local churches."
Third, Wheaton Illinois. The magazine sells this stop, "Whenever writers in the early church and Middle ages talk about holy sites, they inevitably promoted the home team above all other locales. Wheaton has C.S. Lewis' wardrobe, Tolkien's desk, Billy Graham's traveling pulpit and grade school papers, and a giant mastodon."
A few I would add that I have yet to do: The Holy Land (Israel and Palestine), the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (also known as The Way of St. James) in Spain, and the Catacombs of St. Paul.