Tel Aviv, Israel
Anu – Museum of the Jewish People (formerly the Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, AKA Beit Hatfutsot) was renovated and became a relevant, cutting-edge museum and cultural center presenting hundreds of items of Jewish culture from different areas and eras.
Following the museum’s statement to “celebrate the multiculturalism of Jewish diversity and adopts an inclusive, pluralistic approach,” it shows a diverse Jewish history from all over the world.
As part of the equality-aspired museum’s approach, women’s stories are presented in the front through memorabilia, pictures, drawings, video testimonials, and documentary films and items. They are no longer hidden and silenced but are part of the Jewish identity and heritage.
Every Wednesday, a special tour is dedicated to the ladies of Jewish heritage. A guide walks the visitors through the 3rd and 2nd floor of the museum and sheds light on remarkable inspiring Jewish women who changed history. Among the women the visitors meet are Sara Levi-Tanai, the founder and artistic director of the Inbal Dance Theater, Irène Némirovsky, who wrote the groundbreaking novel Suite Française, Dona Gracia, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Hannah Szenes, and many, many others.
One of the powerful stops of the tour is the traditional ritual articles and holy vessels. A silver bowl called the “Miriam’s Cup” stands next to the famous Menora and Shofar. The tradition is to put it on the annual Passover celebration dinner table (“Seder Table”) next to the “Cup of Elijah” to remind the guests that if it wasn’t for Miriam, who saved Moses, the Jewish people would have a different history and might have stayed in Egypt.
The guided tour is included in the admission ticket to the museum, enabling the visitors to explore the museum before and after the tour, enjoy the many audio and video displays, and delve into the beautiful works of art, pictures, illustrations, etc.
The museum is located in the center of Tel Aviv University, close to a shopping mall and a ten-minute drive to the beach and HaYarkon Park. Read more...
London, England, UK
This self-guided tour is a 7-mile circular walking trail in the heart of London featuring places associated with Diana, Princess of Wales. It includes stops at palaces, mansions, parks, memorials, and other landmarks related to the Princess, the royal family, and other must-see sites in London.
Ninety plaques mark the stops on the trail, created by artist Alec Peever. Each plaque contains an aluminum rose emblem, symbolizing Diana’s image and British traditions. The route was dedicated as a memorial to Princess Diana on June 30th, 2000, a day before her 39th birthday.
Diana Frances Spencer (1961-1997) was born in Norfolk, England, to an aristocratic family. At 16, after graduating from school, she met her future husband, the 29 years old Charles, Prince of Wales. Till 1981, she lived in London and worked in several low-income jobs. Then they married, and Diana entered the British Royal Family, receiving the title of the Princess of Wales. She took on many royal duties, became a patron of over 100 charities, and used her fame and love from the public to shed light on issues close to her heart, including cancer, AIDS, and homelessness.
In 1992, after 11 years of marriage and having two children, the princess and her husband divorced. That has not reduced the love she received from the public or the attention from the press, which she harnessed to raise awareness of social causes, such as the dangers of leftover landmines in Angola. Diana died in a car accident on August 31st, 1997, attempting to escape the paparazzi who followed her in the streets of Paris. She was 36 years old.
Walking The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk can be started from any stop. It passes through four out of eight of London’s Royal Parks – St. James’s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens, and three palaces – St. James’s, Buckingham, where the princess lived before her marriage, and Kensington, where she raised her family. The walk also includes three grand houses – Apsley, Clarence, and Spencer’s family hereditary house.
Among the must-see sites on the walk is the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain and the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens.
Other sites on the walk include Westminster Abbey, one of the world’s most famous churches and where Diana married Prince Charles, The Magazine at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery, designed by Zaha Hadid, and the Queen Victoria Memorial at the end of The Mall. Read more...
Uxbridge, ON, Canada
This self-guided will take you along the countryside of Uxbridge, Leaskdale, and Zephyr, following locations related to one of the most beloved Canadian authors, Lucy Maud Montgomery. While driving between the stops, you are welcome to listen to a podcast about Montgomery’s life and work and learn more about her life in the area.
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) was almost two years old when her mother passed away, and she arrived at Prince Eduard Island to live with her grandparents. From a young age, she wrote poetry and short stories and started to publish her work in the local newspapers at 16 years of age. After graduating high school, Montgomery obtained a teaching degree and taught at local schools on Prince Eduard Island. She also studied literature at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1908 she published her first novel, Anne of Green Gables. At its center is the story of a young orphan girl, Anne Shirley, who gets adopted by elderly siblings and comes to live on Prince Eduard Island. The book was a hit, translated to over 36 languages, and adapted into movies, TV series, films, radio, stage, and web productions, bringing Montgomery worldwide fame.
In 1911, she married Ewen Macdonald, a Presbyterian minister, and left Prince Eduard Island following his position at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Leaskdale, Ontario (nowadays is Leaskdale Historic Church). They lived at the Leaskdale Manse, where she wrote 11 books and had three sons; her second son was stillborn and buried in Foster Cemetery. In 1926, they moved to a new congregation in Norval, Ontario, and nine years later to Toronto. She passed away in 1942 and was buried in the Cavendish Cemetery on Prince Edward Island.
During her lifetime, she became one of the most popular authors in the world and published 20 novels, 500 poems, 530 short stories, and 30 essays.
This itinerary follows 15 locations in Uxbridge, Leaskdale, and Zephyr, and includes stops at two museums that commemorate Montgomery. One is at Montgomery’s home, Leaskdale Manse, and the second is at the Leaskdale Historic Church, where a bronze statue of her resides in the garden. Also included are the Thomas Foster Memorial and the Foster Cemetery, where Montgomery’s stillborn son, Hugh Macdonald, was buried, the Uxbridge Train Station, and the Uxbridge Historical Centre.
Another heritage trail exists in Prince Eduard Island, following places where Montgomery grew up and got the inspiration to set most of her novels. Read more...
Cavendish, Canada
This self-guided tour incorporates 16 landmarks in Prince Eduard Island related to the Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery who was one of the most famous residents and made the island famous worldwide.
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) lived more than half of her life on Prince Eduard Island from her arrival to Cavendish as a toddler to live with her grandparents after her mother passed away till her grandparents died, and she got married when she was 37 years old. She started to write poems and short stories as a child, publishing her first poem at 16 and short stories in newspapers and magazines by 23.
Prince Eduard Island’s landscape and people inspired her to create her famous fictional character, Anne Shirley, the principal character of her first novel, Anne of Green Gables. Published in 1908, the book became a best-seller worldwide, translated to over 36 languages, and adapted into dozens of movies, TV series, films, radio, and stage productions.
When Montgomery married, she left Prince Eduard Island to live in Ontario; she returned for visits and chose it as the prime location for many of her books and her final resting place.
Prince Eduard Island celebrates Montgomery and the characters she created in many locations that were part of her life story and influenced and inspired her novels, and this guided tour lists them all.
The suggested starting point is Montgomery Park, where a life-size bronze statue of Montgomery resides. It is called A Glimpse of Beauty and depicts Montgomery as a young woman sitting on a bench with her notebook while experiencing a moment of inspiration. Near the park stands the Macneill Homestead, where Montgomery grew up and wrote Anne of Green Gables. The restored kitchen still stands and is open to the public.
Across the street from the park are Cavendish Cemetery and Montgomery’s grave.
On the other side of the park is the Haunted Wood trial, which appears in Anne of Green Gables and leads to Green Gables Heritage Place, including Green Gables House and Lover’s Lane (8619 Cavendish Road, Cavendish). Montgomery loved this house and chose it as the home for her fictional character Anne Shirley. Visitors can tour the house and relive Anne’s story in its rooms and garden.
The tour also includes the following destinations:
L.M. Montgomery Birthplace (6461 Route 20, New London).
Anne of Green Gables Museum in Silver Bush (4542 Route 20, Park Corner).
The Confederation Centre of the Arts in downtown Charlottetown has been presenting the Anne of Green Gables – The Musical since 1965 and is the longest-running annual musical theatre production worldwide.
Robertson Library and the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island (550 University Avenue, Charlottetown). The institute holds Montgomery’s most extensive collection of documents and artifacts, and the library displays Montgomery’s sculpture by Claude Roussel. Read more...
Buenos Aires, Argentina
This guided tour will show you the city of Buenos Aires, focusing on one of its most famous female leaders, Eva “Evita” Peron.
Peron (1919-1952) was a village girl who came to the big city to fulfill her dream to be an actress, and she did. In 1944, at a charity gala, she met Colonel Juan Perón and married him the following year. After he won the presidential election in Argentina, she became First Lady.
She served as First Lady for six years until she died from cancer, becoming one of the greatest leaders of Argentina. She promoted women’s suffrage, women in politics, labor and health reforms, and founded the charitable Eva Perón Foundation and the first large-scale female political party, the Female Peronist Party.
Among the places you will visit on tour are Peron’s final resting place in her famous mausoleum at Recoleta Cemetery, the Evita Museum in Palermo, which review her life story and showcases many of her personal belongings, and the Casa Rosada, the pink house where she gave many speeches. Read more...
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Join a knowledgeable guide for a tour of Edinburgh’s historic landmarks, some of which are connected to Mary Queen of Scots in various ways, and learn about the city’s rich history.
The tour will start at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and John Knox House Museum, then to the Canongate Kirk (a Scottish word for a church) dated back to the late 1600s. On the historic kirkyard (graveyard), many notable people lay their final resting place, including the lover of Mary Queen of Scots.
On the way to The Scottish Parliament, the tour will pass by the house of the famous philosopher and author Adam Smith. Outside the Scottish Parliament, you will see Arthur’s Seat and hear all about it.
The next stop will be at White Horse Close, which served as a tavern on the way to London. Many things happened here and in the nearby structures, and you will hear all about them. One of the last stops will be at Holyrood Abbey, where you will admire the ruins of what was once one of Scotland’s most important places of worship.
This tour will enrich your knowledge about Edinburgh and its history. Do not miss it. Read more...
Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Learn and explore Argentina’s most interesting political movement: Peronism, with a knowledge historian-guided tour that will take you to many landmarks in Peronist history in Buenos Aires. Including Perón Square, Plaza de Mayo, the main Union building of the Peronist era, the Evita Perón Foundation, a Peronist Theme bar, the Health Ministry, and the Evita Perón Museum (a ticket to the museum is included).
The Peronist ideal is based on social justice, economic independence, and political sovereignty. Peronism was developed by the former Argentine president, Juan Perón, when he was Argentina’s labor secretary, and it has been influencing Argentine politics since.
The guided tour will give you a complete overview of Peronism in Argentina and present its key figures. Read more...
London, England, UK
A visit to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is one of the best attractions while visiting London. And not only for Harry Potter’s fans.
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels that follow a young wizard named Harry Potter and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Then books were written by British author J.K. Rowling, who became among the world’s most famous and wealthy authors following the worldwide success of the books and the movies that followed.
On your visit, you will enter the magic world of Harry Potter and walk on the original sets used in the movies that brought to life the fantasy scenes from the books.
You will get a close look at costumes and props—such as Hagrid’s motorbike, hear the behind-the-scenes secrets of many of the special effects, visit Dumbledore’s office, the Great Hall, Platform 9 ¾, Diagon Alley, and many more.
The ticket includes round-trip coach transport and admission tickets to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. Read more...
New Orleans, LA, USA
Visit an off-the-tourist-beaten-path destination in New Orleans, St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. and join local author and historian Sally Asher for this guided tour to learn all about it.
The cemetery was founded in 1854, and over the years, it has served as the final resting place for many notable people. It is famous for its many angel statues that one can “almost hear the beat of their wings.”
Strolling around, among the graves you will visit, and the people you will learn about are – the first businesswoman to have a public statue erected in her honor, the hunchbacked photographer who secretly photographed prostitutes, the woman behind the quirky castle, legendary chefs who were activists in the Civil Rights movement. Read more...
New Orleans, LA, USA
This guided walking tour wanders the streets of the New Orleans French Quarter area, focusing on the history and customs of Voodoo. This folk religion that mixes African and Haitian-based magical elements with Catholic rites.
You will learn all about the Voodoo culture in NOLA, its origin, who practiced it, where, when, and how. The tour will stop at an authentic voodoo store, the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, and places related to the notorious Voodoo Queen and community leader Marie Laveau, including her final resting place in Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1.
It was established in 1789 and is the oldest cemetery in the city. The graves are in above-ground tombs. Read more...