by Paula (Giangreco) Cullison

Before our trip, I sent out an email (with my Letter of Introduction) to several SERVAS members in each of the cities on our itinerary. As luck would have it, quite a number responded that they would enjoy meeting us. Our trip to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, and then to Iceland was AWESOME. The highlight of our trip was meeting SERVAS members. There, Gunvor Bjerre invited us for coffee and dessert at her lovely modern apartment. After giving us the royal tour of her Christianshaven neighborhood, Gunvor gifted us with a book of folk tales from Greenland which she’d compiled and published. 

Photo above - Dinner at the lovely home of Ingrid Pedersen and Bjarne Kjaer (Copenhagen - Frederiksberg district) Here also with Gunvor Bjerre (standing left) who gave us a most interesting walking tour of Christianshaven and invited us for dessert & coffee. Daniele (seated right) was visiting from Paris

SERVAS members Ingrid Pedersen and Bjarne Kjaer invited us to an awesome dinner in their art filled lovely home in charming Frederiksberg, an independent section of Copenhagen – while they were hosting Daniele from Paris. We were also invited to the summer SERVAS gathering in the communal courtyard of Gunna Starck´s apartment complex. A dozen members attended; one had met Bob Luitweiler, who was an exchange student from Bellingham, Washington, studying in Copenhagen, when he envisioned this international nonprofit in 1949.  As we are pleased to tell others - SERVAS is now in over 100 countries. While in Copenhagen, we also enjoyed Tivoli Gardens, Glypoteck Art Museum, Amalienborg Palace, and Nyhavn. 

Photo Above: In Copenhagen for the SERVAS gathering in the courtyard of Gunna Starck's home.

The weather in Stockholm was like Copenhagen’s (mid-70s F). SERVAS members Jorgen and Asa Persson invited us for lunch which they served in the communal courtyard of their historic condo complex in the Sodermalm section of Stockholm. Greta Garbo grew  up there! This once poor working-class area is now gentrified and filled with cafes, restaurants, shops, public art, small parks, and galleries. We also enjoyed the Fotografiska Museum, Nobel Prize Museum, VASA Museum, the changing of the Palace Guard, Waldemarsudde Villa of Prince Eugene, and the Ice Bar. 

Photo above: In Stockholm at the lovely home and courtyard of Jorgen and Asa Persson in the Sodermalm section

Another SERVAS member, Margareta Soderberg, met us at City Hall and walked with us along the water of Lake Mälaren which meets the Baltic Sea. A retired teacher, Margareta now teaches Swedish to immigrants. We enjoyed coffee and pastry at Mälarpaviljongen, a popular outdoor cafe. Before meeting Margareta, we took a tour of the beautiful City Hall where the Nobel dinner is held. The mosaics and art works are stunning. The setting by the water is ideal for photographs. Saturday in Stockholm is the day for civil weddings which last about 4 minutes each. Seventy couples are married then. That equates to 6 hours of hearing ‘I Do’ – Ja (Yes). One could easily spend a Saturday enjoying the parade of happily married couples.

Photo above: author with Margareta Soderberg for a leisurely afternoon  at a cafe along Lake Mälaren in Stockholm, Sweden

In Oslo, we enjoyed visiting the Kon Tiki Museum and the Vigeland Sculpture Park, Munch Museum, the Opera House and the Bibliotek. During our visit, Lisa Kara Froyland and Fredrik Felberg, two SERVAS members, were to be married at a country church in the small town of Jevnaker, located an hour north of Oslo. They invited us to the church ceremony.

Photo above: Lisa and Fredrik's wedding in Jevnaker, Norway

We took the train from Oslo to Roa where we had a nice conversation with the Station Master whose family had emigrated from Albania. He summoned a taxi for us, as Jevnaker is another 20 minutes away. Being invited to a wedding was a special treat. The aura of this historic church was magnified when the organist played Pachelbel’s Canon, and the attendees sang “Morning Has Broken” in Norwegian. 

I was honored when the groom asked me to take the group family photo after the ceremony. I stood on a bench. The minister, Lena Ros Matthiasdottir, who officiated at the lovely wedding ceremony, drove us to the bus stop in Hønefoss where we caught the bus back to Oslo. Along the way she gave us a brief history of her family’s roots which dated to the Vikings. What a wonderful day!

On the evening we arrived in Bergen we were invited to the home of SERVAS members Arne and Monika Natling for dinner. It was pouring. We took the local bus. Arne met us at the stop and walked us to their lovely home which is set on a hill with 360* views. They were also hosting Michele, a SERVAS member from Australia. We had a most enjoyable time. Monika prepared a traditional fish soup which was superb. Arne is a doctor specializing in geriatrics and Monika is a speech therapist. They both love music. Monika played the piano during our visit.

Photo above: Dinner at the home of Arne and Monika Nakling in Bergen, Norway with Michele (seated right) visiting from Australia

A shout out goes to SERVAS member Kristofer Jonatansson, who gave me good advice about Iceland, even though he would not be in Reykjavik during our visit. Iceland is Mother Nature’s wonderland with its waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, volcanic rock formations, sheep and horses.

by Mharia Ross-Walcott

Host: Wisdom Addo • West Africa Centre for Peace Foundation  • Servas International • Accra, Ghana

Our ‘Trip of a Lifetime’ to West Africa started early in September of 2024.Three of us caught the early train from Springfield Massachusetts to Penn Station, hailed a taxi to JFK airport and embarked at the midnight hour for Casablanca, Morocco.

The fourteen-hour layover in Casablanca (originally called Anfa, meaning ‘the top’ in the indigenous Berber language) was enhanced by a tour guide named Hamid. After cappuccino coffee at a cafe on the Atlantic Coast, we visited the beautiful gardens at Arab League Park, and then toured the granite, marble and wood architectural splendor of the Hassan II Mosque. This magnificent structure, built between 1986 and 1993, can hold 105,000 worshippers! We learned that Casablanca is planning to become the ‘Gateway to the African Continent’. For that reason, and the fact that they will host the World Cup in 2030, much construction is underway 

We spent the first full week immersing ourselves in the fascinating culture of the Gambian people. We visited the Kachikally Crocodile Museum, where we learned about the ancient culture of the Mandinka, and shared space with and were encouraged to touch the creatures who live in the pond. We met young Mandinka women from the village of Mandinary who are mobilizing the youth around ecological education and then visited the Mandinary Lodge, an ancient gathering site by the Gambia River.

Our host 

Raheema resides near the Banjul Airport. Our next flight took us to Ghana, a cherished destination in the Motherland, a long-anticipated dream for my husband Baba Wallabee. We spent time in Accra, Cape Coast and Kumasi. The Kakum National Park and the canopy suspension bridges were breathtaking and visiting the Cape Coast Castle stirred our hearts and souls to reconfirm our commitment to never again repeat the sins of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Thirty miles from Kumasi, the Bonwire Kente Museum mesmerized us with the patterns of the Asante Kente that tell the history and stories of the Akan people.

Wisdom Addo is a Servas Host in Accra. We met Wisdom Addo (a name that means King) at a popular restaurant in the bustling city of Accra. He works with the West African Centre for Peace Foundation (www.wacpfgh.org), that seeks to nurture a generation of adults who pursue peace, tolerance, conflict resolution, community service, and leadership.

The West African Centre for Peace Foundation (WACPF) is a non-government organization that serves young people in schools and communities providing education on human rights, leadership training, and peace building. Their major initiative is construction of a youth leadership center in Odumase Krobo, Ghana, about two hours from Accra. It will have a conference center, educational and vocational training spaces, guest lodging, and recreational spaces. Its vision is deeply rooted in promoting peace education, non-violence, and conflict resolution skills. The center will be the hub of PeaceJam Ghana.

The WACPF’s Peace Centre Project works in collaboration with the PeaceJam Foundation, which is a US-based non-profit organization that offers international educational programs that connect youth with Nobel Peace Laureates with the goal of positive change for them, their communities, and the world at large.

Meeting Wisdom Addo was a true inspiration for us! His work is an investment in our shared future. I hope Servas members will explore the positive work he is spearheading in Ghana, West Africa and many more nations. I highly recommend him as a Servas Host to all of you Peace Travelers! Here are links to two joyous videos on Ghana PeaceJam, and the WACPF Peace Center.

And finally, we would be remiss if we didn't share Wisdom's Greeting's and invitation to Servas members to visit him in Ghana.

(with Recipes)  by Deirdre Marlowe

My adult children and I made a flying trip – both literally and figuratively – to South Africa this month. We began with a safari (from Arabic safara meaning journey) in Kruger National Park. Yes, we saw the Big Five as well as some of the Small Five and the Ugly Five. I was most taken by the giraffes – towers when standing still and journeys when moving, and the belly laughs of the hippos. We were mock charged by elephants and rhinos; mock or otherwise, it was scary. Two days later, we saw eland and ostriches on the beach!

Cape Town sprawls into the water against the backdrop of Table Mountain and is truly one of the world's beautiful harbors. We met Servas day host, artist Juanita Oosthuizen, for coffee on our first morning in Cape Town. She took us for a drive alo

ng the coast to Camps Bay and recommended that my son and daughter climb Lion’s Head. (The Table Mountain cable car was closed for maintenance; she said the trails could be a bit confusing.) Lion’s Head has some ladders, some scrambles and some chains for climbing. 

Juanita suggested that I walk back to the Cape Town waterfront along the shore. Both my children and I enjoyed Juanita’s recommendations. My daughter said that after looking over the side of a ladder while climbing up, she didn’t dare do it again – the drop was intimidating. When I looked to my left, I was reminded of the south coast of France, or southern California, but when I looked right, the mountains told me South Africa.

The next day we took a day tour to Seal Island, the Cape of Good Hope – which is NOT where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, that is Cape Agulhas, Foxy Beach to see the penguins, and ended in Bo Kaap, a formerly Malay neighborhood of multi-colored houses in Cape Town. We saw one of the most amusing sights of our trip at Foxy – a territorial penguin scolding and chasing some hyraxes (small furry animals similar to groundhogs) while kicking sand at them.

Juanita picked us up the next morning for a drive – and some tasting -- in the wine country. First stop, Babylonstoren, a self-sustaining winery and farm established by a Dutchman in 1692. (Today there are hotels, restaurants, and a spa on site, too.) Their wine museum explained more than everything a visitor would want to know about wine making and wine drinking. We tasted seven wines in all. Everything on the snack platter we paired them with was grown and made on the farm.

We stopped at two other wineries. Each winery not only had its own version of an art collection – sculpture in one case, tapestries in another, but one was also the home to an internationally prize-winning olive grove. We asked at one of the wineries if they might seat us for lunch, but they were booked. My daughter who was a professional golfer after graduating from university expressed interest in visiting Ernie Els’ winery.  As we made the drive, I called ahead. However, when we arrived, there was some confusion about seating us – which we eventually were. The manager apologized by offering us a bottle of Juanita’s favorite Merlot. Later he even comped us dessert! The culminating moment of the lunch was my daughter’s drive into the vista.

While the dessert we enjoyed compliments of the manager was Alice Pudding, we’d became fans of Malva Pudding our first night in South Africa and thought to let you try this at home. Here is a recipe for Malva Pudding. If you’d like, substitute crème anglaise for the sauce. Always serve with a little vanilla ice cream. Another sweet we enjoyed in South Africa was Crunchies, a local biscuit or cookie. Here is one home cook’s recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Flour
• 1 Cup Oats
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Coconut – grated and unsweetened
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• ½ Cup melted butter
• 2 Tbs golden syrup (Substitute karo or agave for the golden syrup.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix the oats, flour, coconut, and sugar together. Melt the butter. Stir in the syrup and baking soda. Mix wet and dry ingredients. Press into a greased baking tray. (The thicker, the chewier.) Bake roughly 30 minutes. Cut into squares while still hot. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy. If there are any left, store in an airtight container.

by Eileen (Lee) M. Rowley & Vena Rainwater

LEE: Thanks for agreeing to share your travels with us Vena. What is your earliest experience with Servas travel and what memories do you have from it?

VENA: When I was 12, I traveled with my mother in Denmark and Sweden, staying with Servas families. I had so much fun with the kids we stayed with, it was much more memorable than any of the sightseeing we did. even though most of them weren't fluent in english, we found games to play and they enjoyed showing me around their towns.

LEE: What are your thoughts about Servas travel with kids in today's world?

VENA: To some extent, I think it depends on your kid’s temperament. My youngest son Ben, 10 years old, is curious, outgoing and will talk to anyone. He gives me an opening to meet news people, particularly with families. On the other hand, my oldest son, Mika, 20 years old it’s much more reserved in new places and with strangers, so traveling with him is a very different experience.

LEE: Can you share a few of your most memorable aspects of international travel with children?

VENA: We were very lucky on our trip to Iceland and got to visit the one host currently active - he's a day host, so we just spent the first morning/early afternoon with him, but he gave us some great insights for our time - including the recommendation to go to the pool that was located one block away from our hostel. The pools are free for kids under 12 and for kids over 10, they can go without an adult.

It’s hard to meet locals In Iceland because during Summer the population soars, and you are surrounded by many tourists. But on our 2^nd day, I had let Ben walk down to the pool on his own (he was very proud of his independence) and when I met him there, he had met a local boy named Frodi. They got to be friends, playing in the pool and Frodi invited Ben and I to meet his family, which lived across the street from the pool. They lived in a top floor apartment, which was in the middle of renovations, we all sat on the floor and petted their cats and talked about life in Iceland. For the rest of our trip, Ben would meet Frodi at the pool or they would ride bikes to the park together. 

Another sweet Reykjavik memory: In the middle of the bay in Reykjavík is a hot spring. The water from the spring gets pumped into smaller areas where people swim. On one of our last days in Reykjavik, Frodi, Benjamin and I traveled across town to visit to the spring. It was a bus ride and a long walk to the beach, but the kids were so excited to be on an adventure - the soaking pool and bay kept the kids busy for hours, while the tide went out.

LEE:  What travel lessons are beneficial to kids?

VENA:  That Copenhagen trip flipped a switch for Benjamin. He’s still a 10-year-old boy, but he understands that travel is the time to get your act together. Ben has learned how to cope in difficult travel situations. You must be okay with imperfection. Navigating through past challenges gives Ben confidence we can get through future sticky situations.

LEE:  What are the joys of Servas travel with a kid?

VENA:  Kids are an automatic door opener to others. We met local folks because Benjamin talks to all kids. Also, kids provide a certain amount of structure and excuse to do kid stuff. Traveling with extroverted and curious kids is easier and more fun than being alone as an adult. In Copenhagen we discovered a rooftop trampoline park. We discovered parents at another local park who said, “you don’t really get a break as a traveling parent.” They suggested I drop Benjamin off for a few hours while I packed our stuff for our trip home. Ben had a great time and I managed to not forget anything in the apartment we were staying, which must be a record for me!

Note: Vena Rainwater is our newest, and youngest US Servas board member. She and her family live in Portland, Oregon.

Spring Snow, Unlimited Cookies and A Guitar In Church

by David Schwartz and Andrea Veltman

The flakes fell in moist, quiet masses. We reveled as they kissed our skin, accumulated on our hats and parkas. It was a totally unexpected late-spring snowfall that enhanced the bucolic greenery of Switzerland’s Emmental region – most famous to the outside world for its “holey” cheese that Americans refer to simply as “Swiss.” Trees that had already leafed out were now bedecked in white crowns; tulip petals grasped crushed ice like goblets awaiting a pour.

We had chosen to visit this region in part to behold its rustic loveliness but also because we’d had such a warm invitation from Servas hosts Jeannette Staiger and Ruedi Winistörfer. This trip was for visiting a mix of old friends and new – the “old” dating back as far as Andrea’s Kindergarten days, and the new hosts we found in the Servas International host list. It was a new approach for us – choosing the region based on the hosts’ interests and subsequent invitation, rather than vice versa.

The Emmental has none of alpine Switzerland’s majestic travel poster vistas. It is a land of traditional, massive farmhouses and tiny country churches, woods, hillsides, high meadows and people who work the land and raise dairy cows. Jeannette and Ruedi showed it off to good advantage by simply letting us enjoy what is an everyday experience for locals – a walk on the signposted trail that connects their village, Langnau, to the outlying farms. The snow that had fallen on newly emerged grass turned part of our route into a sledding slope – without the sleds!

The next day we drove to famously picturesque Trub, a village of 1,300 from which the ancestors of some Amish in the United States emigrated. Trub was honored in 2019 with an award for Switzerland’s most beautiful village. We were enchanted by the many richly hued wooden farmhouses with wrap-around covered balconies. Our destination was the beautiful 17^th Century Swiss Reform Church in the center of town, known for its ornate wooden interior and impressive organ. We were headed there for musical, not spiritual, purposes: the Trub Church is Ruedi’s favorite place to play guitar. He set up a small amp and began his session, playing classical guitar music dating from the era in which the church was built through the 20^th Century. Our group of two was the entire audience, but acoustics and ambience are why Ruedi likes to play there, often accompanied by Jeannette singing.

To hungry travelers like us, no visit to Langnau can omit a stop at the Kambly biscuit factory and shop, which includes a tiny museum in the back corner to give you a ‘healthy’ excuse for going there! Biscuits in Switzerland are not breakfast buns to be covered with gravy but what Americans call cookies. There’s no admission fee but there’s unlimited tasting. And how! Every one of the several hundred varieties is available for sampling. Just help yourself – no one is looking over your shoulder to make sure you don’t overindulge. And overindulgence it was – we didn’t have much of an appetite for dinner that night!

As is true for so many of us, we don’t explore what’s nearby: despite having grown up in Switzerland, Andrea had never spent time in the Emmental. Thank you, Jeannette and Ruedi, for spoiling us with good food, stories and a magical experience.

by Alexei Krindatch

The Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland are a place where nature feels untouched... ocean, rocks, green pastures, and sheep are most common features of landscapes here.

The beautiful landscapes of the Hebrides are among the oldest in Europe and people have lived here since Mesolithic era (15,000 to 5,000 BC); and over the centuries, Vikings, Norway, Kingdom of Scotland, and now United Kingdom have claimed their authority here. Surprisingly, the islands’ everyday life remains under the control of the same powerful local family clans: MacLeods, MacDonalds, Mackenzies, MacNeils, etc.

My host, Munro, met me at the ferry and we drove to his home. The ferry journey is about 3 hours and costs about 15 USD $ (more if you transport a car). Munro and his wife, Jane, moved from the mainland to Hebrides 45 years ago, working in the local administration (Munro) and education (Jane). They decided to retire in the tiny village of Keose. They are a combination of traditional style with various added modern features. I was especially impressed by the inside “winter garden” and the dining room with floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows.

My “home” in the village of Keiso on Lewis & Harris island

The village of Keiso, a collection of “crofts.” The land itself belongs to landlords, but all improvements made to this land (i.e. houses, barns, plants, etc.) belong to crofters. Several provisions allow crofters to keep their control over the land indefinitely and pass it within the family from generation to generation.

After we settled in, Munro and I went to check out his sheep – the principal livestock of Hebrides. Alongside the Munro’s sheep I discovered a cheerful pony which belonged to one of his neighbors.

Munro’s wife Jane was working on another property which collectively belonged to the village. She was cutting the peat, which when dried has been traditionally used as a main fuel for heating the houses. Cutting heavy soil into neat pieces and laying them in a particular manner for best drying is a truly “back breaking” job

My hosts served homemade bread and a traditional dish called “Duff,” a steamed pudding made of flour, suet, dried fruit and various spices. It was delicious served warm and with generous portion of custard. If interested, HERE is a good Duff recipe.

Munro and Jane showed me some highlights of the Lewis part of the island: the Calanais Stones, a giant structure of standing stones arranged in the shape of a cross with a circle in the middle. Created in stages between 3000 and 2000 BC, Calanais Stones are of the same age and as impressive as famous British Stonehenge.

It’s unclear what the purpose of this construction was and how it was built: perhaps some sort of lunar calendar to help ancient inhabitants decide timing for various agricultural tasks. Calanais may symbolize four winds or the signs of Zodiac. The structure’s internal circle was also used as burial grounds: the ashes from cremated bodies were placed in clay pots and buried there. Humans abandoned the place around 1000 BC and peat began to form over the site. Calanais Stones were uncovered again in 1857 with the removal of 1.5 m / 5 feet of peat.

The nearby Dun Carloway Broch are Iron-Age tower-like multi-story houses. Their walls are constructed by the “dry stone” method, i.e., without any mortar. Brochs are found throughout Atlantic Scotland, perhaps used for military defense purposes or as living quarters for the extended families of the most prominent local clans. 

Of the dozens of brochs’ sites on Outer Hebrides dated from 100 BC to 100 AD, Dun Carloway is remarkably well preserved, and features a dramatic setting overlooking Loch (sea inlet) Carloway. The external diameter of Dun Carloway is 14.3 meters / 45 feet, and the walls vary in thickness from 2.9 to 3.8 meters (9 to 12 feet). It is unknown how high this broch was, but the remaining structure is 9.2 meters / 30 feet high.

Over time, the stones from the walls were reused to build the blackhouses. A traditional blackhouse had two concentric drystone walls with a gap between them filled with earth. The roof was either thatched or made up of turf and most did not have proper chimneys.. The windows were very small, and homes were filled with smoke. Livestock and other animals lived in separate sections.

The name – “blackhouse” may be derived from the comparison to the new – “white” – homes which were built since the late 1800’s. These homes with added fireplaces and chimneys were inhabited until the middle 1970’s when they were largely replaced with homes with indoor plumbing, electricity, and other conveniences. In 1974, when the last family left, the village was preserved as a museum with holiday accommodation for tourists.

Gearrannan Village allows you to truly travel back to the mid 1950s. Volunteer docents explain the past use of different tools and various rooms. When inside, one can enjoy the warmth and fragrance of a peat fire, look at the demonstration of weaving of the famous Harris Tweed, and “meet” the original inhabitants of the houses through the multi-media presentations depicting their lives and challenges.

One home has been converted into a youth hostel, and four became self-catering accommodations. Their exteriors and interiors retain traditional appearances, while offering all the conveniences of a modern home: full kitchen, central heating, electric showers, snug beds. Check out reservations and prices HERE.

The island’s scenery is so appealing. The landscapes of the northern (Lewis) part of the island are shaped by endless moorlands many “lochs” – a Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or fjord.

The museum in Stornoway is new, and adjacent to the Victorian era Lews Castle built in 1840s as a residence for Sir James Matheson who had bought the whole island (yes!) a few years previously with his fortune from the Chinese opium trade. Today, it houses a cultural center, nice cafe and luxury holiday accommodations. In the museum, several rooms compare snapshots and key moments of history and present-day life on Outer Hebrides. The exhibits also combine audio and video information.

The “Lewis Chessmen”: 12th century chess pieces made out of Walrus ivory, were found in 1831 at Uig Bay. One of the few surviving complete medieval chess sets, they belong to the epoch when the islands were under Norwegian Kingdom – a period which left little historical evidence and artifacts.

Harris did not have a road until 1990s. The “lifeline” connecting it with civilization was “Postman’s Path,” a 10 km / 7 mi trail through the mountains to the town of Tarbert (the “capital” of Harris). The postman walked this path three times a week delivering not only mail, but also vital supplies like medicines, etc.

Postman’s Path, a paradise for mountain bikers

The village of Tarbet, population 1,200 and four times smaller than Stornoway, has a fairly attractive natural harbor with ferries running from there to the Uig on Scotland’s mainland. 

Tarbert has two excellent options for souvenir shopping, including locally produced "Harris" tweed, a traditional Scottish rough woolen fabric and locally made whisky and gin. Sugar kelp seaweed from the seas around the islands makes Harris gin unique in flavor.

Whisky of Harris, a good souvenir to take back home (A single malt Hearach can cost about 60 pounds/76 USD, and includes a fancy crystal bottle.

As we drove further south through the Harris inlands. the scenery changed: the wide green pastures became rocky hills, stones and lochs with bizarrely changing colors of water.

The evening before my departure, Jane and Munro prepared a wonderful meal with fresh produce, bread cheese, and plenty of wonderful wine. We enjoyed the meal in their glass gazebo with views of the gardens and surrounding countryside.

by TysSniffen 

I finally got my best travel companion friend - with whom I've been traveling for 30 years - to join US Servas so we could connect 'legitimately' with day hosts while we were knocking around Portugal. Before we left, I spent a lot of time on the Servas website reaching out to different members in Portugal and setting up some connections. Right off the plane, We were met - on the gangway! - by a great Servas member, Romulo Sellani, who works at the Porto airport. A coffee, some advice, and a walk to the metro got me on my way. 

The next night, he and his daughter took us out to a local favorite spot for a fabulous fish dinner. His daughter Anna brought a friend the next night. We all went out to a wine tasting and dinner, and enjoyed long, philosophical talks while walking in the light rain of a beautiful European evening.

Another young person's connection, through Trustroots - a Servas-like org that's more 'punk', more hitchhiker, but still warm and hospitable – made for a great connection for drinks, walking tours, and late-night snacks at locals-only spots. Gustavo also joined us for big fish lunches and an incredible football match with the town's archrivals..."we" won 5 to 0.

This was just the first few days in northern Portugal.I'm skipping over many details of these great times to get to my bigger point: by being open to meeting people like this, my friend and I simply had a different mindset.We were ready to talk to new people, open to ideas and opportunities, simply had more smiles on our faces, more often.I've been traveling (well, may I brag here?) for most of my life, but this trip took me to another level of... cultural receptivity. Is that what it was? We were more open mentally, maybe it could be called generosity? grace? around meeting people and the world.  

We took a train up the Douro Valley east of Porto into the wine country.You can take a boat up the river in the summer, but I love trains, and this one goes right along the river. On that trip, we fell in with a large extended family who shared their lunches (and beers!) while we chugged (pun inadvertent!) up the river.Once arriving at a small town in the center of wine country, we connected with the owner of a quiet, perfect restaurant for a long, artistic conversation, and many more drinks than we were charged for. 

We continued on to southern Portugal for many more adventures, that also included Servas members and further chance encounters that made the trip amazing. 

All this to say something that maybe everyone who reads this newsletter already knows that authentic connection made through meeting people in an honest, open way is what makes travel worthwhile. I don't really travel for natural beauty, nor architecture, but for a cultural connection through conversation, sharing food, and sharing time. Servas is a gateway to authentic travel.We should get more Americans involved. 

by Josh Gerak 

For four months during the summers of 2022 and 2023 I went bikepacking in Europe and stayed with SERVAS members dozens of times, for overnight housing, to meet for many lunches or dinners, and gathered information about local sights. Bikepacking, also known as bike touring, blends well with SERVAS because traveling by bicycle makes one dependent on arranging housing every night in a new place. The highlights of my four months were seeing a slice of life through the eyes and experiences of my always gracious hosts. Learning the personal history of my host families created an understanding and camaraderie unmatched in any of my other travels. 

There are many forms of bikepacking, many types of bicycles suitable for touring and many ways to travel by bicycle. I chose to travel light, not bring camping gear and do what I call “credit card touring.” I am an avid cyclist, and with a background in touring, racing, and owning a mountain biking tour company. I decided to bring a lightweight road bike on tour. I carried no panniers; instead, I had a frame pack, a pack that extended behind my seat, and a handlebar bag. Two changes of clothes sufficed. My total weight was less than 20 kilos, bike and gear. That permitted me to average 70 to 90 km per day.

Other cyclists traveled on E-Bikes, gravel or mountain bikes, and many pulled laden down trailers with full camping gear. I chose to tour with strong like-minded friends: Erik and Kristy joined me in 2022, both with a racing background; and Mary Beth and Jackie joined me in 2023, both avid and strong cyclists. Our tours were about seeing the sights, eating great meals and sleeping in a bed every night. 

Unlike the packaged tours that many people choose for bike touring, we chose to travel without a schedule, without a strictly planned route, and without reservations except occasionally a few days ahead. This offered maximum flexibility to adjust our itinerary based on the weather, meeting new friends, and taking extra time to explore areas that seemed interesting.

We generally followed EuroVelo routes, 19 intricately designed bike friendly routes that crisscross Europe, and range from 1,000 to over 10,000 km long. Many of the EuroVelo routes are on designated bicycle paths, separate from roads. They are a joy to ride, often following rivers, summiting many famous mountain passes and ridges, through national parks and the most famous historical areas of Europe.  Many European countries are building cycle paths on their EuroVelo routes to promote cycle tourism. All I can say . . . is GO! building cycle paths on their EuroVelo routes to promote cycle tourism. All I can say . . . is GO! 

We stayed in hotels for over half of the nights on our trips, and with private parties the other nights which included Servas hosts, friends, and with another hosting organization that is cycling specific called Warm Showers.  Traveling without a defined itinerary was challenging for planning stays with some Servas hosts, but generally our method worked well.  When we knew we were following a EuroVelo route, we would write several weeks in advance, advising the host that we expected to be in their city 3 or 4 weeks in the future, and that we would email or text when we got closer.

Most hosts would advise us if they were going to be available during that window. When we got closer, we would confirm their availability and share our narrower arrival window. If it did not work out, we stayed in a hotel which we could usually book upon arrival at our destination.  Fortunately, many hosts live in the bigger cities where there were more hosting options and where we really benefitted from the local perspective.  

With the proliferation of GPS enabled cell phones and devices, and a host of new mapping and route planning apps available for free or for small subscription fees, planning and navigating on bicycle across Europe is possible for anyone with the penchant for learning how to research, practice with the apps, and route plan. I mounted my cell phone on my handlebars so I could follow turn-by-turn directions for the entire trip. I downloaded our entire route and many side options.  

Every night, I reviewed the upcoming day’s route and made adjustments depending on anticipated traffic, new information or new sights we had identified. I mostly used a phone app called Komoot, and supplemented it with Google Maps which also has a bicycle planning option. Others use Garmin, Maps.me, and any one of many others. Some of my friends even programmed their phones to give verbal instructions for every turn, but I preferred to add a bit of serendipity to our routes. As good as the apps are to identify bicycle routes, many times bike paths, boardwalks along beaches, and other interesting pathways not on the recommended GPS route brought us to incredible sights, historical markers, viewpoints and to people yearning for interaction with the odd Americans showing up on bikes with touring gear. 

Bicycle touring is truly the most incredible way to see the world. A cycle tourist can cover long distances at a decent pace, or putter along to smell the roses and take photographs. The bicycle is quite reliable, too – this past summer we never even had a flat tire. People are not fearful of cycle tourists because we travel too slowly to be a threat. Bicycles can be loaded down to carry most everything one needs for any time of the year, or one can travel light making for a faster pace and less effort.  

Most bicycle tourists are friendly, and people are usually friendly to cyclists in return. Europe by far is the safest and most interesting place to tour on a road bike. The USA has unparalleled natural beauty and landscapes for bike touring but unfortunately it is far more dangerous with traffic, lack of cycle paths, and a citizenry that lacks the respect for cycling common in Europe where cycling is a revered sport. 

I plan to travel again this summer in Europe on bicycle. I would be happy to answer any questions about bikepacking, routes, gear and expectations. If you are planning to bicycle tour, too, , maybe our paths will cross.  

Josh Gerak first joined Servas in 1993. After a long hiatus he rejoined in 2022 and has been traveling, mostly by bicycle, when he is not in Seattle, WA where he enjoys cycling, hiking, climbing, skiing, running his businesses and hosting Servas travelers. 

by Russ Hatz 

Everyone has had one or some of these travel issues at one time or another, but all of them in a month?! Makes you want to put your passport away. Last month my wife and I returned from a month in France, Spain and Italy.  

ur trip began on an inauspicious note: on the morning of our flight, Icelandic Air booked us on another airline when they discovered a mechanical problem with our plane – all to the good. However, what had been a ten-hour, one-layover trip became a three-airport twenty-hour trip. Experience has taught us to carry a couple of days’ clothing in each other’s suitcase. Good thing we did, as flight delays and missed connections found us in Paris, late at night, minus a suitcase. Our bag caught up with us eleven days later. 

Our plans included extended stays in Paris and Barcelona. Even though we started planning months prior to our departure, we often found major museums and popular sites fully booked. We endured the lines and managed to see the requisite Parisian sites. After a week in Paris, we happily escaped the crowds and relaxed with Servas hosts Joseph and Marie-line in the Loire Valley. Another French Servas couple, Bill and Nad joined us. How peaceful the green was, how plentiful the wine! 

TRAVEL TIP: If you plan to use Servas in Spain or Italy do not rely on email.  According to Joseph, Spanish and Italian Servas hosts communicate almost exclusively through WhatsApp. 

We then caught a train for eight days in Barcelona. Although we’d heard frightening tales, we found the streets of Barcelona no more troublesome than those in Paris. Once again, many sites were booked, but Barcelona is a great walking town. 

TRAVEL TIP: If you must book an Airbnb, should the accommodation not live up to expectations, it is possible to get a refund. 

At this point, we were tired of streets, traffic and crowds, so we took a seven-day cruise as a vacation from our vacation! The weather did not cooperate. Luckily, neither one of us is prone to mal de mer. This gave us the opportunity to visit Menorca and Toulon, but perhaps of more interest to history buffs, Corsica and Elba of palindrome fame. Our cruise ended in Civitavecchia, which gave us an opportunity to see a few sites in Rome we’d missed eight years earlier. 

Our flight home was simple – only a six-hour delay and a slight luggage mishap which the airline covered thanks to the EU airline passenger bill of rights. 

In many ways, time seems to stop when you are on vacation. The tragedy of October 7^th occurred during our journey. It gave us pause and made us more aware than ever of the need for peace organizations like Servas to foster empathy and understanding. 

Some day you, too, might have a Little Trip of Horrors. Remember: sometimes the worst trips are the best trips, and that the luxury of hindsight often provides opportunities for laughter.  Safe and, hopefully, stress-free travels.  

Äddi 

by Ulla Whitmont  

My husband and I are Servas members. However, we have not had much chance to travel due to Covid. We live in a small town near Yakima in central Washington. Unbeknownst to us our Servas listing showed us as a host family. The call came on the Wednesday night before Labor Day: Could we host the coming weekend? We agreed, even though it was a new one for us.  

As it turned out we had a delightful visit. We shared meals and information about the wonderful things to see and do in our area. Our travelers came from northern Israel near the Lebanese border.  Like many Israelis, they contribute as needed to local defense. These days we think of them often as they live in an area where there is a danger of an invasion. We hope they will be safe. 

Author’s note - We cannot share more information about our visitors due to their past and current roles in Israel. We do not want to put them at any more risk than they already are.