TRAVEL 2006

ITALY/NETHERLANDS - BULGARIA/MACEDONIA - OXFORD, UK

Most of my travel in 2006 was related to the Baha'i Faith and activities of Baha'i-inspired organizations.


ITALY - NETHERLANDS

For example, the European Baha'i Business Forum (http://ebbf.org) has an active partnership with AIESEC, the international organization of students of business and commerce, so I often get invitations to speak at AIESEC events. In 2006 one of the AIESEC themes was energy, and EBBF Italy asked me to participate in the weekend institute that they organize each year in February at the Baha'i study centre in Acuto, a hilltop village south of Rome, for selected AIESEC representatives from universities all over Italy. AIESECers are a very dynamic and stimulating group, so after my presentations on the energy challenge and its implications for business and society, they prepared various skits and artistic presentations aimed to convince world leaders to take action on energy.

AIESECers    Skit about energy
AIESEC/EBBF institute at Acuto                                A skit about energy

I also participated in the EBBF Annual Conference in de Poort, the Netherlands, in September.
de Poort conference centre de Poort conference centre

With the nice weather, some of the activities were outside in the beautiful gardens.
groups on the patio    in the gardens


BULGARIA - MACEDONIA

In the summer I visited my brother Greg and his family in Bulgaria, and we went together to (the former Yugoslav Republic of) Macedonia to give classes at the Baha'i Summer Gathering (as they call their summer school) on the shores of Lake Ohrid. There was a wonderful diversity of participants, including Macedonians, Albanians, Turks and a significant contingent of Roms.

Beachfront resort The school was held at a beachfront resort on Lake Ohrid in western Macedonia, so there was always something to do after classes.








workshopsThere were lectures, workshops, and various artistic activities.








   

Children's performanceThere were songs and performances by the children, youth and adults. Everyone had a lot of fun.











The beauty of the environment also added to the spirit of the summer gathering.
Morning on Lake Ohrid Morning on Lake Ohrid

Since we had to cross all of Macedonia to get to Ohrid, we saw typical Macedonian landscapes, with hills and forests, fields of tobacco, and drier areas.
Hills and fields   Tobacco fields
Macedonian landscape

Later in the year we returned to Lake Ohrid in Macedonia to give workshops at an AIESEC conference for national officers.


OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM

In mid-September the International Environment Forum, the Baha'i-inspired organization for the environment and sustainability of which I am president, held its annual conference at Oxford University, in Balliol College where the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, Shoghi Effendi, studied nearly 90 years ago. For more information and photographs of the conference, see the IEF web site at https://iefworld.org/conf10.htm. Balliol College is one of the oldest in the university, with buildings surrounding peaceful inner quadrangles and gardens.

Entrance to Balliol College Entrance to Balliol College

Entrance from inside   inner courtyard inside the college

quadrangle   Commons from outside
Commons from outside              
Inside the commons
Commons inside    Commons from inside

Conference dinner

IEF Conference dinner in the church basement













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Last updated 25 September 2007

Photographs copyright © Arthur Lyon Dahl 2006