Mary (Burkholder) draws inspiration from the beauty of the world around her: whether it’s in a cosmopolitan city like St. Petersburg, London or Cape Town, remote hiking on the Inca trail or in the Swiss Alps, or simply visiting with a fellow traveller over local cuisine. She has lived abroad, travelled extensively, enjoyed hiking and has explored many UNESCO sites. She has co-led many international learning tours over the years with her husband, Len. Mary was an educator and a Special Education Consultant for the Waterloo Board of Education. Mary was married to Leonard Friesen in 1977 and they have called Waterloo, Ontario their home for the last 35 years. Together, they have been blessed with 3 adult children, three in-laws and 7 grandchildren.
Morocco is home to spectacular landscapes, a vibrant cultural history, and welcoming people. On this unforgettable tour, you’ll experience firsthand why Morocco is so irresistible. See Africa’s largest mosque in Casablanca. Discover Morocco’s spiritual and intellectual history in Fes, including the world’s first university. Stay overnight in a luxurious camp in the Sahara Desert and take a sunrise camel ride through the sand dunes. Get a taste of local culture in marketplaces and city centres.
Fill your lungs with fresh mountain air and see incredible views as you ascend peaks by cable car, hike mountain-top paths and wander valley trails. Explore the Swiss mountain village of Mürren and surrounding area for three days. See the nearby Lauterbrunnen Valley, with its subterranean, glacial Trümmelbach Falls. Then set up a basecamp in Grindelwald village in Switzerland’s Bernese Alps, from which you can enjoy Eiger Mountain and a glacial gorge featuring trails with interpretive signs, waterfalls and striated limestone walls. Also take a walking tour in Zurich, a city closely tied to Roman and Anabaptist history. We will spend our final night in Lucerne, considered by many to be the most beautiful medieval city in Switzerland with a fjord-like lake and surrounding mountains.
