5 Favorite Celebration Meal Locations
A Celebration Meal is part of every Wonder Voyage. We gather at the end of a journey to reflect, to remember, and to show gratitude. It is our time to honor community – both the community on the journey AND the cultural community where the journey has taken place.
Every Wonder Voyage is unique, which means each Celebration Meal is unique. Each location has its own flavor – both literally and metaphorically. The food, the sights and the sounds differ according to cultural context; but the common thread that runs through our most memorable Celebration Meals is joyful hospitality.
Here are some of our favorite locations for Celebration Meals.
Honduras Celebration
In Honduras, like much of Central America, hospitality is extended with abundance, regardless of socioeconomic status. Guests are honored and treasured. We love our Celebration Meals in Honduras because they truly are banquets with lovely decorations, local cuisine, and piñatas. Our Honduran hosts use this time to show their appreciation to us for coming to their community to serve.
Colorado Home-Cooked
While in Colorado, we enjoy Celebration Meals in a mountain lodge. What makes these meals memorable is the love and attention dedicated to a delicious home-cooked meal. Like a meal prepared by a cherished grandmother or aunt, our Colorado Celebration Meals help us to remember that we have a home away from home – a place to belong.
Alaska – Local Flavor
An Alaskan celebration meal combines all the elements that make a celebration dinner truly memorable. The team is involved from start to finish in an experience that they could never have at any other location: local guides teaching us to prep, cook, and feast on crab fresh off the boat. All of this is done surrounded by the Alaskan outdoors. The uniqueness and intimacy of this evening make it one of the best celebration experiences that we offer.
Italy Hospitality
One of our most beloved Celebration Dinners happens on a small family farm just outside the walls of Assisi in Italy, the center of St. Francis’ ministry. We spend hours learning how olives are harvested, meats are cured, wine is fermented, cheese is created- all on this tiny farm in the hills. We sit with the family as the Mama of the house prepares a 20-course meal that we gorge on until we cannot move.
Peru Oddity
There are a lot of strange things we try in our travels. In Iceland, we eat fermented shark. The Philippines gives us balut. Google it. When we are in Peru we are in for local cuisines that blow us away. This country is known for its delectable offerings. But it is also the country where we eat roasted cuy, or in English, guinea pig. Yep, it’s a memorable meal for sure.
Meals unite us in celebration at the end of every Wonder Voyage. What has been your most memorable Celebration Dinner?
After graduating with a dual degree in History and Sociology, Molly became a youth minister in the Episcopal Church. She joined the staff of WV in 2003. As Voyage Coordinator, she adds the nuts and bolts to our itineraries. She is dedicated to bringing the gospel to life through pilgrimage. As an encounter expert, Molly can find the story of God anywhere and everywhere.