Four Bon Voyage Gifts for Friends on a Year-Long Tour of "Christian" Megaliths
Submitted by Andy_B on Monday, 20 June 2022 Page Views: 253
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Since many of these megaliths are now found within foundations of churches built to eradicate paganism, they are often called Christian megaliths, which of course is a misnomer. Even so, a pilgrimage through Europe to view the progression of Christianity is an exciting prospect. What can you give your friends as a bon voyage gift that will let them know you are with them on their pilgrimage? Here are some thoughts:
1. St. Christopher’s Medal
As the patron saint of travellers, what could be better than a St. Christopher’s medal? You can often find them through online religious stores since there are few brick-and-mortar Christian stores left these days. They are declining in number, much as priests are declining, but online they can be found with a simple search. Since it is said that most of the churches built prior to the Reformation are built on ancient pagan ‘holy’ sites, travels to view Christian monoliths will take pilgrims throughout much of Europe. As Catholics, don’t forget to have the medal blessed before gifting it to your friend. That is an absolute must!
2. A Warm Jacket
Even in the summer months, much of Europe remains chilly, especially at night. In some of the more remote locations, they may be camping out in small tents. Some of the sites they visit will need days for exploration and one coat may not be sufficient. Gift them a warm, lined jacket to keep the chill at bay.3. SD Cards and a Battery Pack for Their Smartphones
If your friends will be camping out during their pilgrimage to these sacred sites, they may not have ready access to electricity. A good quality battery pack will give them several charges on their smartphones. Also, you may want to gift them with a few SD cards so that they can continue taking shots of these megaliths without the worry of uploading them without Wi-Fi and access to electricity.4. Camping Cookware and Utensils
There are some handy little sets available for campers who may need to cook over open flames. This is actually a huge part of the fun of touring Christian/pagan monoliths throughout Europe. Many will be within towns and cities and others may be out in more remote locations. If your friends are planning on doing any amount of camping while on their monolith pilgrimage, this is something they could really use!At this point, you are probably wishing you were going along with them. Doesn’t it sound exciting to be seeing all these early Christian holy places that were largely there to replace paganism? It’s even interesting to think of cooking out over an open campfire in the mountains of Germany where many of these early monoliths will be found. Maybe next year…
With many thanks to Regina and Ogham for their kind help and support of this article, including their lovely photos.
