We just finished filming two new TV shows on Paris ' 12 days of work. I was exhausted when we were done, but ' I have to admit ' in Paris it's hard to call it "work." Rather than hard working, let's call it hard living.

One of the great perks of TV production is the luxury of being alone with Europe's greatest art. A few weeks before we came to film, I scouted Paris' Orangerie Museum and developed a concept of strolling with Monet along the banks of his water lily pond. When I returned with the film crew, we commandeered a wheelchair to use as a "poor man's dolly" (in good guerilla-budget public television style), allowing us to capture that smooth "stroll along the pond" effect for our viewers ' in hi-def!

Here's a bit of my script for that part of our Paris show, followed by a video of cameraman Karel and producer/wheelchair dolly operator Simon in action:

Like an aging Beethoven, who composed his most dramatic works while losing his hearing, the nearly blind Claude Monet spent his last years painting these symphonies of color on a similarly monumental scale.

We're looking into his pond ' dotted with water lilies, surrounded by foliage, and dappled by the reflections of the sky, clouds, and trees on the surface. Monet mingles the pond's many elements and lets us sort it out.

The true subject of these works is not the pond itself. It's the play of the light reflecting off the water. Monet would work on several canvases at the same time ' each one catching the light of a particular time of day.

If you can't see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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Each evening co-author Steve Smith and I visit the restaurants we recommend and check out other possibilities. Our treat after a long day of research is sitting down to a meal at our favorite place. In this restaurant in Amboise, I was particularly charmed by both Aurore (who runs the restaurant) and her cheese course. She introduced it so lovingly to each diner, that I had to share the experience with this video clip.

If you can't see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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For the past few nights in the Loire Valley, I've been reminded that an evening meal here can be much more than a meal. When you spend $60 for dinner here (instead of just "filling the tank" for $20) don't count on getting any extra nutrition. You're buying a three-hour joy ride for the senses ' as rich as visiting an art gallery and as stimulating as a good massage.

In Amboise, after a full day of researching the next edition of our France book, Steve Smith and I go to Restaurant L'Epicerie. Steve orders a basic menu and I go top end. As usual, we share. I bring along my little black notebook in an attempt to capture how ' when you choose a good restaurant, relax about the prices, and let yourself really tune into the experience ' splurging on dinner is a travel thrill in itself. And that can make it a great value.

Getting a full dozen escargot rather than the typical six snails doubles the joy. Eating six you're aware that supply is very limited. Eating twelve, it seems for the first eight like there's no end to your snail fun. The taste is so striking that I find myself requesting silence at the table. It's just my mouth and the garlic-drenched snails, all alone on the dance floor of my palette. Add good Chinon wine and you've got a full orchestra accompaniment. Like a slow motion love scene, I pry another snail gently out of its shell and pop it into my mouth. The swirly spiral on the empty shells visually syncs with each swish of wine.

Like a mermaid's tail in a tide pool, my crust of bread laps up the homemade garlic-and-herb sauce. I ask Aurore, our waitress, how it can be so good. With a sassy chuckle and smile she says, "Other restaurateurs come here to figure that out, too." Then she adds, "It's done with love." While I've heard that line many times, here it seems believable.

The restaurant itself adds to the experience. Under rough timber beams hang frameless portraits of long forgotten city fathers. Opposite hangs an aging painting of a traditional boat full sail blowing up the Loire. Glasses fill the room like crystal flowers. Gazing at the quiet lane outside my window, with the floodlit Amboise ch

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I'm just finishing a busy week visiting the best ch

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Driving from ch

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I'm just getting into my new trip. This time I'm in France ' working on TV shows and updating our France and Paris guidebooks with my co-author Steve Smith.

I've spent this past week in Paris working on the guidebook. With the luxury of an entire week to settle into one place, I've been able to connect with this city like never before: sipping a kir before dinner (a genteel-feeling way to begin a meal)...spending enough time to really "be" in the Orangerie so I could take a virtual stroll around the edge of Monet's lily pond with the artist himself...developing a taste for pistachio macaroons...looking forward to hearing the folk troupe of Russian musicians that plays in the M

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SSG John Ashford of the Oregon Army National Guard, photographed in An Najaf, Iraq. Enlarge photo

Former Staff Sergeant John Ashford sent us a letter that we found inspirational. I've heard from many people about how our travel shows bring a little sunshine into their lives, but this was one of the most powerful. Thanks for traveling with us, John, and thanks for your service. ' Rick

Dear Rick:

I was a staff sergeant in an infantry platoon of the Oregon Army National Guard, deployed to Iraq for 12 very long and hot months.

Based upon our performance and capabilities, my platoon was selected by the commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division to be the division's Quick Reactionary Force while in Iraq ' we were the "911" that other units called when they needed help. We were an outstanding unit and were requested by several Special Operation Forces to work with them, based upon our reputation and abilities.

Bottom line, we saw a lot of action and took the causalities that came with it. My platoon was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for actions in combat, the highest award the President of the United States can bestow upon a military unit.

There are not many things an infantryman gets to look forward to in life except for hot chow and sleep. If things get bad, he will give up food for sleep because he knows that he can go longer without food than he can go without sleep.

On those rare occasions when we were back in our hooches after our missions were complete ' and it had not been another 18-hour day, I would get out my Rick Steves DVDs. I cannot tell you just how much your travel shows helped me to make it through some very dark days. It was my way of escaping for a brief time and not having to deal with all of the ugliness of war, both physically and mentally.

I am not exactly sure how many times I watched your DVDs but I can tell you that if it were not for them, I might not have been able to deal with some of the terrible situations we had to overcome while we were in country.

I just wanted to let you know that I truly appreciate you and your staff's hard work in putting together your travel guidebooks and travel DVDs.

' John Ashford, Vancouver, WA

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My son, Andy Steves, has worked hard to create his own student travel company, Weekend Student Adventures. And these days, he's far better established in the foreign study world than I am. Through Andy's work, I realized that a huge number of people are involved in foreign study. After talking with Andy about this summer's NAFSA (National Association of Foreign Study Advisors) convention in Vancouver, we decided to join him there. Booths aren't cheap, but it's the biggest travel fair I've seen, and the people there all share the same travel philosophy: Let's make friends with the world! Here's a quick video clip that captures the energy of this show (featuring Andy's booth ' and his staff, and ours). For more about our new vision to help equip teachers with helpful materials to enhance their foreign study work, see my Rick Steves for Teachers website.

If you can't see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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I'm heading for Paris, and discovered this video ' by a brilliant travel guru named Steve Ricks ' filled with tips as well as inspiration. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. (Nice work, Steve, but those glasses just have to go.)

If you can't see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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For the past 30 years, whenever I've been asked to state my occupation at a border crossing, I've said, "Teacher."

People may find my TV shows to be entertaining or my guidebooks practical, but my passion has always been to teach. And whether it's about art, culture, or nuts-and-bolts travel skills, I've been an evangelist for a more fundamental cause: Good travel teaches people to better understand the world they live in. It plants the seeds for a global perspective, and then nurtures it.

My "wonder years" ' when travel experiences fed and shaped my core values about the world and my place in it ' were in high school and college. I wasn't lucky enough to be in a foreign-study program, learning instead from my own "traveler's school of hard knocks" (with the blessing of my parents, who wanted their son to be a citizen of the world).

As my own kids grew up, their mother and I tried to enrich their lives through family trips, and we were delighted when both Andy and Jackie eagerly sought out foreign-study experiences. (Andy spent a university semester abroad in Rome, and Jackie spent a month living in a Moroccan village during high school.) Seeing how these experiences have helped to shape our kids' knowledge and values as they move into adulthood is a wonderful thing. I wish every parent could have this thrill.

This is why I've created Rick Steves for Teachers ' a special initiative to help inspire, prepare, and equip educators and students alike to have meaningful international experiences (both in the classroom and on the road).

I have no ambition to run student-travel or foreign-study programs ' but I have resources that can help others in that field achieve success:

• I've written books to help students and educators prepare for international travel (including Travel as a Political Act and Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler).


• I've produced DVDs (and free Web versions) of my Rick Steves' Europe TV shows ' a hundred episodes that introduce students and educators to history, cultures, and contemporary issues from Ireland to Istanbul.


• I've produced Rick Steves Audio Europe™ ' a free app that organizes hundreds of self-guided audio tours and radio interviews into country-specific playlists.


• Along with producing my TV series and weekly public radio program about the value of travel, I am lecturing around the country on the value of international education.

If you are a teacher (or if you know one), you'll find more information and related resources ' including books and DVDs at 50% off ' on my Rick Steves for Teachers website. Professors all over the country are already using my Travel as a Political Act book in their teaching. On this website ' which is only in its infancy ' we've enlisted the support of one such professor, Al Forsyth, to create resources for teachers. From a journal of his experience teaching with Travel as a Political Act to discussion questions and a glossary of terms, we hope this website will help you incorporate my materials into your teaching.

I look forward to being a helpful partner in educators' endeavors to give our young generation not just vocational skills and an ability to score well on tests, but a global perspective. Together, we can help build a future where the USA fits more comfortably with the other 96 percent of humanity and has an electorate that is tough to hoodwink.

Thank you for spreading the word!

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Last month, U.S. Catholic magazine published an interview with me on how to travel not as a political act, but as a spiritual one. The entire Q&A is now available online.

As a Christian, I enjoy being open to spiritual experiences while on the road, and there's no more spiritual experience than traveling to the developing world. To be with the world's struggling and downtrodden is to be with Christ. My expertise as a writer and guide, however, is traveling through Europe, which also offers plenty of opportunities to get close to God. Here's my guide to five places in Europe that stoke my spirit.

High in the Alps

As I walk high on a ridge in Switzerland, the Alps strike me as the greatest cathedral in Europe. Ride the rack-railway train from Wilderswil (near Interlaken) up to Schynige Platte, then hike along a ridge to Faulhorn, with its famous mountaintop hotel, and on to the perch called First. As you tightrope along the ridge, lakes stretch all the way to Germany on your left, and on your right is a row of cut-glass peaks ' the Eiger, M

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As a traveler, I've been able to see how different societies creatively grapple with all kinds of issues ' including marijuana use and abuse. This is an area where I think we can learn from Europeans, who have been coming at this from a "harm reduction" perspective rather than just "crime and punishment."

Based on the drug policy successes I've seen overseas, I am proud to be a co-sponsor of New Approach Washington ' an initiative to pragmatically legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana. This initiative is also sponsored by former US District Attorney John McKay, Seattle City Attorney Peter Holmes, and other respected legislators, professors, and civic leaders.

Nobody is advocating marijuana use in this discussion. Caring people are realizing that it simply makes more sense to regulate and tax marijuana rather than criminalize it. Care is being given to address the understandable and important concerns about pot getting into young people's hands and anyone driving while intoxicated by anything. I firmly believe (and statistics from other countries ahead of us on this matter affirm the belief) that drug use will not go up substantially, and a big bite will be taken out of organized crime while freeing law enforcement's time to focus on more dangerous criminals.

The initiative we are promoting is detailed and pragmatic, designed to win the approval of thoughtful people across the political spectrum. To learn more, visit the New Approach Washington website. If you have friends who are Washington State voters...pass the word along. We can use your help ' you can even become a volunteer signature-gatherer.

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This last month of Turkey video dispatches has reminded me how much I enjoy sharing my thoughts and videos through my blog. Your enthusiasm for travel energizes me whenever I read your comments.

However, through my blog, you see only a fraction of the travel information that my crew and I crank out every month. If you'd like more travel news and insights, I invite you to join my free Travel News e-list. Each month, I'll send you an email about my latest travel experiences, with a link to my most recent articles, practical tips from readers, and daily European headlines that matter to travelers. For example, check out my July Travel News. I hope you'll sign up to get this free service monthly. (We have a strict policy of not sharing or selling our e-list. You have my promise on this.)

Thanks, and happy travels!

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While I was trying to be on vacation during this Turkey trip, I was also collecting ideas for future TV episodes and making sure our Best of Turkey tour is the best value possible for our tour customers. As I always do when taking one of our tours, I send in a report to our tour operations staff and guides. Here is a sampling of my feedback for this tour:

Great trip in every way. I am really happy and impressed by how the tour is true to the ETBD spirit. If you made no changes because of these suggestions, it would still be a great tour. The mechanics of the tour as Mine did it were spot on. Nice work! But here are a few suggestions, proposals, ideas, and feedback to be considered for our Turkey program:

The Whisper System is a winner in Istanbul. It makes touring more relaxing and enjoyable for all. Experiment to learn what causes static. Try listening with Bose headsets (it's a different experience ' almost too good; I'm not proposing that, but it is interesting).

The mid-tour feedback is great and well done. And, while you do need to respond, you can address concerns without overreacting (it's just one voice out of 25).

Walking fast is important. Keep walking fast and just explain you won't turn a corner. Start talking when most of the group is there. Those who choose to lag behind are free to do so without causing all to wait for them.



For meals, maximize variety ' eating experiences with more variety and less quantity. While some cultures love people by throwing vast quantities of food at them, this does not impress Americans. It makes us uncomfortable. The Aphrodisias lunch (pide, salad, mushrooms) was served family-style and perfect. Nice variety, fast, not too much, great for sharing, good for social fun.

The dancing surprise is OK. A little more real music that evening (even by amateur musicians) would be great. Consider explaining the instruments. Tell about the culture of dancing in Turkey ' how men dance together, snapping, flirting, etc.

The dervish evening was a powerful memory, but I'd explain to people really clearly that it is not a show but an actual ritual. It's slow and otherworldly, and there's no applause when it's done.

Be careful to respect Christians on the tour. Many people come with a keen interest in Biblical history and footsteps of St. Paul. I think the guide's leadership is important to promote an atmosphere of respect and thoughtfulness from a religious (Muslim or Christian) point of view. Ideally, it is ecumenical ' a kind of generic, all-inclusive approach that people of all faiths can embrace.

One highlight was meeting people ' real people. The magic of this tour (which distinguishes it from others) is your talent and ability to get us into homes. The more, the better.



Rest stops are excellent. I like the efficiency of the big bus meals and stops. Bravo Turkey!

Punctuality was good. Establish departure time clearly (as you do). Sometimes it helps to have everyone repeat the time. To physically say it, they will remember better.

For group meals, it is very important for the guide to be sure there is smart seating (no gaps, not too tight, no extra chairs, easy access rather than a long single table against the wall, remove ashtrays). People are reluctant to scoot down a long line to sit in a place where they will make five people move if they need to get up. An extra chair or setting often means there is a gap socially in the seating, and then someone is cut out of the conversation ' a major problem, but easy to avoid.

The meals should be a cultural education and fun sampler. Ask for any taste treats from the kitchen and let people have a tiny taste. Explain the food, introduce people to new stuff, do things en masse for experience, exposure, and economy (e.g., 6 s

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It's tradition that we have a kind of sharing time with skits, poems, and songs with dessert after every tour's last supper. As a thanks to our guide, Mine (pronounced mee-nay), I wrote this little collection of images and insights she organized for me and our group. The festive dinner was a wonderful capper for a great tour.

Olive Pits on My Breakfast Plate

Stacking olive pits on my breakfast plate, I sort through the sounds, flavors, and feelings that are my souvenirs of Turkey.

As I stand in the basket of my balloon, the rhythmic bursts of flame punctuate Mustafa's jokes while warming my wide eyes. Illogically, the stripes on his epaulette make me feel safe as we lift off.

On the market square, hourglasses of sweet chai and the clatter of backgammon dice among unshaven men ' men who may look scary to people who never leave their TV ' make it clear: We're all children in the same playground.

In the mosque, I struggle to get comfortable sitting cross-legged on the well-worn carpet. The imam explains that the mark of a good call to prayer is how the muezzin stays in the right mode. Spending time with him, I ponder why craving to understand and be close to God drives societies apart rather than bringing them together.

In the market, the old woman ' her deep wrinkles evidence of a life lived close to the earth ' earnestly tries to sell me a leech swimming laps in an old plastic water bottle.

In the hammam, sprawled with five bus mates on warm marble, like slabs of tourist meat in wet underwear, I surrender to my burly Turk, ready to be tenderized.

Stepping into our hotel with flowers lavishly bedecking the lobby, someone asks, "Was there a wedding?" The man at the desk says, "No, a circumcision." For many Turks, a circumcision is the greatest party ' "like a wedding without in-laws."

In this remote corner of Turkey, many men still take macho to dizzy heights. At the corner tobacco shop, when buying cigarettes, they choose the pack that reads "Cigarettes can cause death by cancer" rather than the one that reads "Cigarettes can make you impotent."

Walking across town to the home where the family was preparing a traditional dinner feast, I noticed children in the field bursting with joy and laughing wildly. I thought, "Happy kids." Then I realized they were laughing at me ' a big, gawky American man walking through their vacant lot wearing baggy pants with a floral (and decidedly feminine) pattern. I'm hoping the joy of baggy pants ' perfect for when you want to be naked but can't ' will follow me home.

Good travelers strive to get out of their comfort zone. And the hallmark of a great travel experience is that when a trip does get us out of our comfort zone... we actually find ourselves in it. When we travel, like that balloon lifting off a wild Anatolian field, we are ' at least for a while ' free from the bonds of our culture and ready to experience our world with a different perspective. What becomes of that freedom and perspective after our balloon touches down is up to each of us.

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My Turkish friends Mert and Mine, newly married and both excellent guides, take me to their favorite restaurant in Kusadasi, and the conversation turns to what makes a good call to prayer. Mert, who did his military service in Afghanistan with NATO, has some strong thoughts.

If you can't see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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Turkish rest stops compete furiously for tour bus business, and it seems they think they'll be judged on the quality of their toilets.

If you can't see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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The Stadium of Aphrodisias takes your breath away...in more ways than one.

If you can't see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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Handling 8,000 cruise-ship tourists a day, the bus lot at Ephesus (my favorite ancient site in Turkey) is a busy place. I was told local carpet shops provide these buses and drivers to the cruise companies at no charge. And guides, who accept less than the standard pay here, are given work according to how enthusiastically and effectively they sell carpets. I guess there's no question that each group will get to the shopping stop on time.

If you can't see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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