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Guides’ Variety Hour: The Americans’ Turn

For about twenty years’ worth of tour reunion festivities, I’ve hosted a big party with our guides in my house. Each year, the gang gets bigger, and the party gets more fun. This year, we nearly opted for a bigger venue, but I’m really glad we jammed everyone in. There’s something special about inviting all of my guides (who I count as friends and who are a critical part of our Europe Through the Back Door team) into my own home.

At our impromptu talent show, I’m generally impressed by how our European guides have a much deeper repertoire of songs to sing then we Americans. (We’re generally limited to “Home on the Range” and “Yankee Doodle.”) But this year, a gang of our American guides regaled our European friends with an amazing little medley of tunes illustrating from where the lion’s share of American culture emanates these days…television. Here’s just a bit of that amazing performance.

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

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Guides’ Variety Hour: Scotland, Haggis, and Happy Birthday Robbie Burns

Today, January 25, is the birthday of the great Scottish poet Robert Burns. Robbie Burns was one of the Romantic Age poets who stoked Scottish national pride in an era when there was much pressure for Scotland to be absorbed into Britain. To celebrate his country’s national poet, our newest tour guide, Colin Mairs (who I just met as my private guide to his hometown this summer in Glasgow), recites the beloved “Ode to a Haggis,” capped by all of us drinking to bonnie, bonnie Scotland and Robbie Burns.

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

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Guides’ Variety Hour: Two Cristinas from Portugal

With over a hundred European guides filling my home last weekend, we threw an impromptu, multicultural talent show. One of the smallest national contingents was Portugal…and both Portuguese guides present were named Cristina.

The party took place just before the big Seattle-San Francisco playoff game, so all of the guides are now honorary Seahawks fans. In this clip, the Portuguese Cristinas remind us that the San Francisco 49ers may have been tough to beat, but the real matchup will come on June 22, when the USA soccer team faces off against the Portuguese team in the World Cup. More typically, our Portuguese guides would have sung a lovely and lilting fado love song. But for this occasion, it was an almost aggressively proud rendition of the Portuguese national anthem.

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

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Guides’ Variety Hour: Italian Guides Do “Bella Chaos”

During our tour guides’ party at my house last weekend, we let the guides from each country organize a little cultural presentation. Here, our Italian guides (the biggest contingent) illustrated how in their country “organization” is actually “disorganization.” This little performance starts with several Italian classics being sung in unison. It eventually worked out just fine — much like things do in Italy (although our guides had a great leader in the person of Neapolitan guide Susanna Perruchini). Enjoy a little of Italy’s “bella chaos.”

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

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Guides’ Variety Hour: Stephen McPhilemy from Ireland

With over a hundred European guides filling my home last weekend, we threw an impromptu multicultural talent show. I simply took volunteers, made the list, and called the party to order. Here, Irish guide Stephen McPhilemy (from Derry in Northern Ireland) sings a rebel song dedicated to our English guides.

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