Rick Steves's Blog, page 4

Wearing my “Keep on Travelin’” t-shirt like a blankie and gripping my passport to manage the pain (just kidding), the nurse stuck me and pumped a dose of that magic juice that will, once enough of us have taken it, free us to once again embrace life physically — to travel, to hug, to sing and laugh without worrying about “social distance” and some evil virus.

As soon as I was eligible for a shot, I was on the list and booked. And in a couple of weeks, I’ll grab my passport again and get my seco...

A Happy Birth Announcement: I’m birthing a beautiful baby script! And I wanted to share a sneak peek of what will be episode two of our upcoming six-hour series on Europe’s art and architecture.  

It’s a blessing to have big projects and a lovely place to work while homebound because of a nasty pandemic. I just enjoyed an intense weekend of editing our ancient Rome script and, in a little 60-second burst of enthusiasm, I shot this quick clip to share with you here.  

I love my work and am thank...

I know we can’t travel yet, but as you read this and experience this amazing painting, see if you can virtually be there with me — as much as possible…really be there. We’ve entered a simple chapel in the Spanish city of Toledo. We’re standing before El Greco’s most beloved painting, which couples heaven and earth in a way only “The Greek” could.  

As our passports gather dust, our leaders bicker over conspiracy theories, and people struggle to arrange a vaccination, I believe a daily dose of tr...

Have you ever experienced a coincidence…that felt like a lot more than a coincidence?

I’ve received lots of thoughtful notes from the 100 or so Rick Steves’ Europe guides who are awaiting the return of travel. This one, from one of my favorite Venice guides, fascinated me, and I thought you might also enjoy reading — and responding — to it:

Ciao Rick,

Come stai? How are you? Buon Natale e buon inizio di 2021.

This is Elena Zampiron, from Venezia. I’d love to tell you something it happened to me ...

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. As a tour guide, I have an ethic that every Rick Steves bus tour through Germany includes a pilgrimage to a concentration camp memorial. It’s our hope, as guides, that with this powerful experience, our travelers will heed the collective wish of Hitler’s victims: Forgive but Never Forget. When you travel thoughtfully — and incorporate stops at memorials to the six million Jews who were murdered by Nazi Germany — the impact changes you.

If you sea...

Every few days, it occurs to me that another industry is in crisis because of the COVID pandemic: tourism, concerts, restaurants, airlines…and museums.

A friend of mine who runs a museum in the USA confided in me that he thinks a third of the shuttered museums in our country won’t re-open. Knowing the passions and dreams that make museums — especially small mom-and-pop museums — possible, this breaks my heart.

I just received this uplifting video from my friends Karin and Gerhard Strassgschwandt...

A fairy-tale castle in a stunning alpine setting, with a lush interior and all the latest conveniences…and they call the man who built it “mad”!

Even though we’re not visiting Europe right now, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine.

And today, we visit a turreted fantasy castle, tucked in the hinterlands of Bavaria’s far south.

Neuschwanstein Castle looks like it dates from the Middle Ages, but it’s barely older than the Eiffel Tower. It was the dream of “Mad” King Ludw...

I was just 19, visiting Romania for the first time. A new friend took me inside his home, to the hearth, and introduced me to what was left of his great-grandfather. It was a skull… dry, hollow, and easy to hold in one hand. He told me it was a tradition in the mountains of Transylvania for families to remember long-dead loved ones with this honored spot above the fireplace. I remember feeling a little bone envy.

Even though we’re not visiting Europe right now, I believe that travel dreaming can...

I just received a Christmas greeting from my friend George Gorayeb, who always surprises me with the thoughtful way he teaches through his travels. George shared a delightful and inspiring story, which I wanted to pass along to you. 

These are the experiences we gather from our travels that make our lives glitter for the rest of our days. And when we share them, there is more light in our world. George’s story, so gracefully told, added a delightful dimension to the idea of gift-giving, so time...

Since I was a kid, The Edmonds Theater has been part of what made Main Street the main street in my hometown. In Edmonds, it’s the ferry dock, the theater, and the fountain. If I was writing the town up in a guidebook, the chapter would be short…and the town would be a “must-see.”

The theater is filled with memories, from when first Mr. Kniest and then Jacques Mayo — community leaders who ran the theater, it seemed, more to give our town character and charm rather than to make money — would lov...