|
1921dc6
|
Ideally, travel broadens our perspectives personally, culturally, and politically. Suddenly, the palette with which we paint the story of our lives has more colors.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
bda99a0
|
I believe if you're going to bomb someone you should know them first. It should hurt when you kill someone.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
8e8c7e3
|
As a traveler, I've often found that the more a culture differs from my own, the more I am struck by its essential humanity.
|
|
travel
people
humanity
|
Rick Steves |
|
32cd7d0
|
Feed the hungry and you're a saint, ask why they are hungry and you're a communist.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
2871211
|
Globetrotting destroys ethnocentricity, helping us understand and appreciate other cultures. Rather than fear the diversity on this planet, celebrate it. Among your most prized souvenirs will be the strands of different cultures you choose to knit into your own character. The world is a cultural yarn shop, and Back Door travelers are weaving the ultimate tapestry.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
9b0d804
|
Leidsedwarsstraat in Amsterdam,
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
f6f3a88
|
Regardless of your journey, you can put a little pilgrim in your travels and find your own personal jubilation.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
35d2edb
|
To say that Siena and Florence have always been competitive is an understatement. In medieval times, a statue of Venus stood on Il Campo. After the plague hit Siena, the monks blamed the pagan statue. The people cut it to pieces and buried it along the walls of Florence.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
0c9a052
|
Look through the unfinished entrance facade, note blue sky where the stained-glass windows would have been, and ponder the struggles, triumphs, and failures of the human spirit.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
75ac255
|
DDR Watchtower This was one of many such towers built in 1966 for panoramic surveillance and shooting (note the rifle windows, allowing shots to be fired in 360 degrees).
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
640870f
|
The French (and Europeans in general) place a high value on speaking quietly in restaurants and on trains.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
da41b1b
|
St. Galgano was a 12th-century saint who renounced his past as a knight to become a hermit. Lacking a cross to display, he created his own by miraculously burying his sword up to its hilt in a stone, a la King Arthur, but in reverse. After his death, a large Cistercian monastery complex grew. Today, all you'll see is the roofless, ruined abbey and, on a nearby hill, the Chapel of San Galgano with its fascinating dome and sword in the stone.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
ab35728
|
Via Banchi di Sopra and Via Banchi di Sotto These main drags in town are named "upper row of banks" and "lower row of banks." They were once lined with market tables (banchi), and rents were paid to the city for a table's position along the street. If the owner of a banco neglected to pay the rent for his space, thugs came along and literally broke (rotto) his table. It is from this practice--banco rotto, broken table--that we get the Engli..
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
4f0021b
|
For example, new EU member Poland survived the communist era without collectivizing its small family farms. But now that they've joined the EU, collectivization is mandatory.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
e7d1392
|
A plaque just outside remembers June 30, 1944. That night, Nazi forces were planning to blow up the arch to slow the Allied advance. To save their treasured landmark, Volterrans ripped up the stones that pave Via Porta all'Arco and plugged the gate, managing to convince the Nazi commander that there was no need to blow up the arch. Today, all the stones are back in their places, and like silent heroes, they welcome you through the oldest st..
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
61c28dd
|
To me, understanding people and their lives is what travel is about, no matter where you go.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
3a7dffa
|
Siena's claim to caloric fame is its panforte, a rich, chewy concoction of nuts, honey, and candied fruits that impresses even fruitcake haters. There are a few varieties: Margherita, dusted in powdered sugar, is more fruity, while panpepato has a spicy, peppery crust. Locals prefer a chewy, white macaroon-and-almond cookie called ricciarelli.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
6b7e22a
|
Travelers recognize that the results of an election here in the US can have a greater impact on poor people half a world away than it does on middle-class American voters. My travels have taught me that, even if motived only by greed, you don't want to be really rich in a desperately poor world. With this in mind, I think of it not as noble or heroic, but simply pragmatic to bring a compassion for the needy along with me into the voting boo..
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
240b8cb
|
In Denmark, "social trust"--a general feeling that you trust your fellow citizens and the pillar institutions of government, law courts, police, hospitals, and so on--is generally found to be the highest in the world. A perfect example of Danish "social trust" is the image of babies sleeping in carriages outside a restaurant while the parents eat inside. You might say, "But no one is watching!" A Dane will say, "Everyone is watching."
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
11fa80b
|
Europeans marvel at how Americans seem willing, almost eager, to work themselves into an early grave. My European friends have told me proudly, "We don't live to work...we work to live."
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
373532d
|
If boots do hit the ground in a war, Europeans believe it will be because they have failed to prevent it. They prefer endless diplomacy to once-in-a-while war. Europe's reluctance to go to war frustrates some Americans. I believe their relative pacifism is because Europeans know the reality of war, while most Americans do not. Of course, if you have a loved one who has fought or died in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Vietnam, you know what a war is...
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
238802e
|
Europe knows what a war is. It ripped itself to shreds twice within my grandparents' lifetime. Consider France's losses in World War I. France (with one-quarter as many people as we have) lost as many people as the US lost in the entire Iraq War--over 4,400 people--in one day...many times. They lost as many people as we lost in Vietnam (60,000) in one month. And then it happened again and again until, by the end of World War I, an estimated..
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
e579c5d
|
Here's a two-week alternative, which could include a few car days in southern Spain near the end of your trip: Start in Barcelona (two days); train to Madrid (five days total, with two days in Madrid and three for side-trips to Toledo, El Escorial, and Segovia or Avila); train to Granada (two days); bus to Nerja (one day, could rent car here); both Ronda and Arcos for drivers, or just Ronda by train (two days); to Sevilla (drop off car, two..
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
4187250
|
I asked my new friend, "Were you born here?" He thought about it, paused, and then said, "No, 'twas 'bout five miles down the road." Later, I asked him, "Have you lived here all your life?" He winked and said, "Not yet."
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
9f89a21
|
In a cafe, order something, then ask the waiter for the Wi-Fi ("wee-fee") password ("mot de passe"; moh duh pahs)."
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
ab46259
|
Vienna's population has dropped to 1.8 million, with dogs being the preferred "child" and the average Austrian woman having only 1.4 children."
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
c62a93b
|
reservations
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
f4a4fca
|
A typical local eats over 60 pounds of cheese a year (mostly feta)--the highest per capita cheese consumption in the world.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
42f72fd
|
Dark Sunglasses: You may want to pick up a pair of especially dark glasses (to be more discreet when appreciating the beautiful people of Aix-en-Provence).
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
5318d2a
|
Firenze Card when you arrive in Florence
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
50791ae
|
Call your debit- and credit-card companies to let them know the countries you'll be visiting, to ask about fees, request your PIN code (it will be mailed to you), and more. See here for details.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
d9ca838
|
Festivals: Porto's big holiday is Sao Joao Day (for St. John the Baptist, the city's patron saint) on June 24. Festivities start the night of June 23 with partying and fireworks at Ponte Dom Luis I bridge, and continue on the 24th with a rabelo regatta.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
cf89698
|
Italy Is Made of Tuff Stuff
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
0bdd0e5
|
If I had to choose one spot to enjoy the small-town charm of traditional Ireland, it would be Dingle and its history-laden scenic peninsula. But the Ring of Kerry--a much bigger, more famous, and more touristed peninsula just to its south--is also great to visit. If you go to Ireland and don't see the famous Ring of Kerry, your uncle Pat will never forgive you. Here's a comparison to help with your itinerary planning. Both peninsulas come w..
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
d4cbd38
|
Gaeltacht region. You can easily spend three fun nights here. In comparison, Kenmare (the best base for the Ring of Kerry loop) is pleasant but forgettable. Those spending a night on the west end of the Ring of Kerry find a rustic atmosphere in Portmagee (the base for a cruise to magical Skellig Michael). Both regions are beyond the reach of the Irish train system and require a car or spotty bus service to access. Both offer memorable scene..
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
84ade73
|
The Fountain of Joy still reminds locals that life in Siena is good.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
39d513e
|
Kun dode fisk flyder med strommen"--"Only dead fish swim with the current.")"
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
0872366
|
Six in 10 Brits call themselves Christian (half of those are Anglican), but in any given week, more Londoners visit a mosque than an Anglican church.
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
13a008a
|
Tour the castle (open from 9:30). Then consider catching one of the city bus tours for a one-hour loop (departing from a block below the castle at the Hub/Tolbooth Church; you could munch a sandwich from the top deck if you're into multitasking). Back near the castle, take my self-guided Royal
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
0441f4e
|
I remember when the standard farewell when I set off on another trip was "Bon voyage!" But today, Americans tend to say, "Have a safe trip." (When I hear this, I'm inclined to say, "Well, you have a safe stay-at-home--because where I'm going is statistically much safer than where you're staying.")" --
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
44a570d
|
NEAR THE BASILICA OF ST. ANTHONY Antica Trattoria dei Paccagnella, the most serious restaurant near the basilica, serves up nicely presented, seasonal local dishes with modern flair and an impressive attention to ingredients. The place has friendly service, modern art on the walls, and no pretense. It's thoughtfully run by two brothers, Raffaele and Cesare, who happily explain why they are so excited about local hens (EUR9-12 pastas, EUR14-..
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
168c63c
|
The City: Today's modern financial district, called simply "The City," was a walled town in Roman"
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
d528f2c
|
While the traffic is enough to make you scream, people are incredibly good-humored on the road. I never heard angry horns honking. One time, while stalled in a Tehran jam, people in a neighboring car saw me sitting patiently in the back of our van. They rolled down their window and handed Majid a bouquet of flowers, saying, "Give this to your visitor and apologize for our traffic."
|
|
|
Rick Steves |
|
50f77be
|
Kleyweg's Stads Koffyhuis is a local institution that's won prizes for its sandwiches (see the trophies above the counter). This is a great spot for an affordable bite, either in the country-cozy interior or out on a canal barge (EUR7-10 sandwiches and hamburgers, EUR6-13 savory or sweet pancakes, big EUR13 salads, Mon-Fri 9:00-20:00, Sat 9:00-18:00, closed Sun, shorter hours off-season, just down the canal from the Old Church at Oude Delft..
|
|
|
Rick Steves |