Smaller text Larger text

Destination: France

Posted on

Video: The Gentle Metabolism of Aix-en-Provence’s Morning Market

Buried deep in Aix-en-Provence is a thriving morning market. Provence, in the south of France, is a land of markets — colors, people, a relaxed vibe, and a love of life have all existed together in tight quarters for centuries. When you have a small fridge tucked under the sink (rather than a freezer in the garage), you need to go shopping each morning — and you get to check in with your neighbors.

When you actually reach out and get to know it, you learn that the world’s not going to hell in a handbag, it’s going to the market with a shopping bag. (I love pondering such thoughts while I’m updating our Provence & the French Riviera guidebook. And this work never gets old, thanks to the encouraging smiles and happy feedback from the travelers my co-author Steve Smith and I keep meeting.)

—
Join our traveling community — connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on

Video: Checking Every Detail in Aix-en-Provence

Bonjour from Aix-en-Provence, France — a town that becomes even more delightful if, as you explore its charming old center, you are armed with a little extra information. I’m here at Place d’Albertas with my Provence & the French Riviera guidebook, making sure our self-guided town walk is accurate and easy to follow. Standing in this simple square, I’m inspired by how its namesake, Monsieur d’Albertas, met a Doctor Zhivago-style fate. (The spirit of Revolutionary France is alive here today: taxes are high, and formerly aristocratic families must now share, like good citizens.)

Teaming up with my guidebook co-author, Steve Smith, every day it’s a different city: Lyon, Aix, Marseille, Avignon, Arles. It’s all day in the streets and each evening in the restaurants. Our reward: a nice dinner at 10 p.m. And then, we do it again tomorrow! I love this work.

—
Join our traveling community — connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on

Lyon’s Secret Passageways: Nothing but ‘Traboule’ with Virginie Moré

Bonjour! It’s Day 17 of my 100-day trip to Europe, and I’m exploring Lyon — France’s number-three city (after Paris and Marseille). Join me in this clip as local guide Virginie Moré shows us how you can step off the streets of today and into the past — if you know about the traboules. History hides out, and you just need to know which doors to open.

This little impromptu history lesson illustrates the importance of having a good guide — or a good guidebook.

—
Join our traveling community — connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on

Video: Experience Bastille Day Parties in Paris

There’s an old travel mantra that you should avoid Paris in summer, when its citizens traditionally go on vacation. Don’t listen! Sure, you’d be hard-pressed to find a dentist or an accountant working in August. But Paris is never deserted (where would 2.2 million people go?), and you’ll find it easy to tap into the city’s breezy summertime fun. And, if you time your trip right, you’ll be in town for a big party. On July 14, France celebrates Bastille Day with a huge, patriotic bash — and everyone’s welcome to join in. You’ll get a taste of the fun in this clip from my new, one-hour Rick Steves’ European Festivals public television special.

Start planning your trip now with my Rick Steves France 2018 guidebook.

Posted on

Video: A Symphonic Journey to France

In Revolution-era France, music supported the modern notion of government by, for, and of the people. Composer Hector Berlioz provided a stirring soundtrack for the Les Miz-type struggles of the people of 19th-century France — to whom all free people owe a mighty debt of gratitude.

This clip is from my one-hour public television special Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey, a greatest-hits panoply of Romantic and nationalistic music from seven different European nations. My role in the concert: tour guide — I had to provide a background of historical and cultural context to each composition. This is what I did for 25 years while leading our bus tours, and it shows the spirit of teaching that all guides at Rick Steves’ Europe Tours embrace, as we prepare our tour members to find both meaning and joy in new cultural experiences.