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April 14, 2015April 17, 2015

Getting Friendly with Greek Orthodoxy

Our Easter special for public television is in the can. We finished shooting on Eastern Orthodox Easter — which was this past Sunday — in Nafplio, Greece.

For our filming, we were blessed to find the friendliest Greek Orthodox priest, Father Dionysis, running the town’s amazing little Church of Panagia (Mary Above All Saints). Our first day was spent scouting, making connections, and getting the religious rituals sorted out.

A fun part of my work is to give another culture meaning so it becomes less foreign to an American visitor. Without a little context, Greek Orthodox ritual, music, and worship can look like ZZ Top at a séance. But, as with most things, once you understand it, you can see the beauty in it.

I like to ask Orthodox priests why they wear long beards. Father Dionysis said, “Orthodox priests wear long beards as a sign of wisdom, experience, and respect.” (In Bosnia’s Republika Srpska a few years ago, when I asked a long-bearded priest, he joked, “It’s to frighten Americans.”)

I think Eastern Orthodox Christianity seems foreign to many Western sensibilities because we in the West strive to be more cerebral. In the East, people allow the brain to take a back seat to the soul, heart, and emotions. Father Dionysis explained that Orthodoxy is not an ideology, but a feeling. He told me, “You look at the sky with eyes of the earth. An Orthodox Christian looks at the earth with eyes of the sky.”

As we left, he bid us goodbye saying (in his tiny English), “Forever happy.”

Father Dionysis

Some Orthodox Christians refer to non-Orthodox as “those who have yet to enjoy the incense.” Father Dionysis explained that every aroma comes with its own philosophy. Sorting through his various incense powders, he explained that during the service on Holy Saturday (after the Crucifixion but before the Resurrection), a change in the aroma would usher in the transition from Crucifixion sorrow to Resurrection joy. After all, worship is for all the senses. The entire body participates.

priest aroma.JPG

Trying to illustrate how each aroma elicits a distinct emotional impact, Father Dionysis asked us to inhale one that was “the Passion and the Resurrection.” In this shot, our local guide, Patty, gets a whiff of something smoky — “of fire, symbolizing the heart in flames so the prayer has a special warmth.”

April 13, 2015March 6, 2017

Warning: Rick Steves Guidebooks Can Be Very Dangerous! (Please Help Me Be Funnier)

In an effort to add some whimsy to the stiff legalese on the copyright page of our guidebooks, for years I’ve inserted a little attempt at humor into the “we accept no responsibility for injury sustained by anyone using this guidebook” line. I think these could be much funnier, and I would love some help.

Here’s a list of the lines currently used in each of our guidebooks. If you can improve on any of these, fire away! Please name the book, and limit your comment to 2-3 words — for example, “Czech Republic, stinky cheese.”

Amsterdam & the Netherlands: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad herring, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Barcelona: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, soggy tapas, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Belgium: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad chocolate, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Best of Europe/Europe Through the Back Door: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, loose stools, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Budapest: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad goulash, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Croatia and Slovenia: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad burek, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Eastern Europe: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad borscht, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
France/Provence/Paris: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, soggy crêpes, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Germany: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad strudel, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Great Britain/England/London: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, mushy peas, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Ireland: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, rotten potatoes, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Istanbul: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad baklava, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Italy/Rome/Florence/Venice: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, overcooked pasta, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Mediterranean/Northern European Cruise Ports: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, seasickness, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Portugal: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad cod, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Prague: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad beer, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Scandinavia: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, bad herring, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Scotland: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, kilt malfunction, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Spain: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, soggy paella, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Switzerland: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, cold fondue, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.
Vienna: they accept no responsibility for loss, injury, stale strudel, or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book.

Thanks a lot!

April 13, 2015April 13, 2015

A Scenic Breakfast in Nafplio, Greece

We’re in Greece, where we just wrapped up filming our Easter special for public television. And, while Easter may seem like old news to you, it was just yesterday here in Greece. Because Eastern Orthodox Christians use a different calendar than western Christians, Orthodox Easter was a week later this year…making it possible for our crew to be in two places — Italy and Greece — on the “same day.”

I’ll be reporting on Greek Easter for the next few days. While some countries do Christmas with more gusto, it’s clear Greece (along with Spain) pulls out all the stops for Easter. We decided to focus on the action in my favorite small Greek town, Nafplio.

My longtime favorite hotel in Nafplio is Pension Marianna, run by Petros Zotos and his brothers. Here’s a zippy review of their amazing breakfast (fresh from the Zotos family farm, and very organic), followed by a peek at the view from their rooftop breakfast terrace.

At the end, you’ll notice me stumbling over the words for “good day” (kalimera) and “squid” (kalamari). As a clueless tourist, I often get my day off to an embarrassing start by greeting people with a cheery, “Squid!”

April 12, 2015April 10, 2015

Andy Steves Orients a Happy Group of Student Travelers in Rome

My son Andy has a favorite student-friendly restaurant in Rome (Miscellanea), where he takes his travelers for a good, affordable meal. With a wine-lubricated gang of seventy 18- to 20-year-old students, Andy needs to stand on a chair to make announcements. Here he explains how to get a good seat at the Easter morning Mass and be properly positioned to see the Popemobile. I thoroughly enjoyed my evening with these fun-loving students so eager to experience Easter Mass with Papa Francesco.

April 11, 2015April 10, 2015

Andy Steves’ Weekend Student Adventure in Rome

Yesterday I bragged about my son Andy’s talents as a tour organizer and guide. Today I wanted to show him in action. In this clip, Andy is leading his Weekend Student Adventures gang from the Spanish Steps to their dinner stop. For many of these students, this is their first time outside the USA…and it’s clear that they’re having a fantastic time. Because it’s a special “Easter in Rome” tour, this is an unusually large group. But that can be a plus for college students, as the social fun grows with the size.