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Vicky and Cristina! Gaudí’s Dream Is Coming True!

I’ve long said, “If there’s one building I’d like to see in Europe, it’s Gaudí’s Sagrada Família church in Barcelona…finished.” The church has been an epic work-in-progress for over a hundred years now, and in the last couple of years there has been huge progress. In fact, my breath was literally taken away during my visit today, as the main part of the church interior is enclosed and ready for worship. It was consecrated recently by the Pope. The stained glass needs to be put in (which will heighten the already magical ambience of its awe-inspiring interior), the towers need to be completed (the central one will be the tallest church tower in Europe by a long shot — functioning as a beacon to cruise ships far out at sea), and hundreds of condo dwellers need to be bought out so neighboring buildings can be demolished to make way for the regal esplanade, which will approach what promises to be the most exciting church built in our lifetimes. The hope: to finish the church by 2026—the 100th anniversary of architect Antoni Gaudí’s death. By then, it’s my bet that Gaudí will be sainted. If there is a miracle anywhere in the world of architecture, it is this building.

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

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The Tooth Fairy (and Other Delights) of Madrid

In Madrid I love to have a room with a tiny balcony overlooking the Times Square of all of Spain, Puerta del Sol. This square, like so many in Europe, has gone from a traffic nightmare to a park-like people zone. Within a 10-minute walk I can (and did) visit the third greatest palace in Europe (Madrid’s Royal Palace), my favorite collection of paintings under any single roof in Europe (at the Prado Museum), and the ultimate town square (Plaza Mayor). And even more exciting, I went to a tiny museum busy with enthralled and wide-eyed little Spanish kids to meet their mystical little mouse, “Ratón Pérez.” This amazing little guy, a kind of four-legged tooth fairy, gives candies to Spanish kids when they lose a tooth and put it under their pillow. There was ample evidence of the little mouse Pérez everywhere in the museum, but the magical little rodent himself was nowhere to be found. (The Ratón Pérez museum is one of many fun new listings I’ve added to the upcoming edition of my Spain guidebook.)

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

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My Free Audio Europe App Version 2.0 is Now Available

My second-greatest satisfaction comes from giving you information that can help you have a smarter, happier trip. My top satisfaction is doing it for free!

I am very happy to announce that an expanded and improved update of my free Rick Steves Audio Europe™ app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad — Version 2.0 — is now available from the App Store.

During the past year, my Audio Europe™ app has given more than 100,000 travelers free access to my audio walking tours of the top sites in London, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome and Athens — plus 200 tracks of information and interviews from my public radio program, Travel with Rick Steves.

My latest version of Rick Steves Audio Europe™ adds a significant amount of new content: eight new audio walking tours covering Vienna, Salzburg, the Rhine, Assisi and Ephesus; plus 26 new radio features on Ireland, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Germany, Italy and Portugal — including new travel interviews with Paul Theroux, Ken Burns and Nancy Pearl.

My app’s ease-of-use also improves with the new version. Audio tour maps and scripts can now be viewed from the player and no longer require printing. The expanded track descriptions include photos, and tracks can be shared via Facebook, Twitter and email — you can even order and download a Rick Steves e-book directly to your device (not free)!

If you already have my app on your smart phone, updating to the new version is a snap. New users can get Version 2.0 from the App Store (search for Rick Steves) or visit Rick Steves Audio Europe™ to learn more.

If you have an Android device, you can enjoy the same content updates now, but without the extra usability features which are coming soon.

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Loin of Cod with a Nice Glass of Catalan Red

After a long and tasty evening of researching tapas bars in Madrid, our last stop was my favorite. At €18 the dinner we ordered wasn’t cheap, but when shared, and paired with wonderful €4 glasses of wine, it was both a great value and, it seems from this vantage point, may become a lifelong memory. I learned a good trick from Jorge, my guide: In a tapas bar, order your glass of wine first, before ordering any food, and wait as if expecting a free treat (which is expected by locals but often not given to clueless tourists) — and you’ll get a small plate of some delicacy for no extra cost. Then order your food. This stop (where we shared the dinner, and had two glasses of fine wine and the small starter plate) cost us about $15 each.

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

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Pondering the Societal Big Four at Madrid’s Royal Palace

Standing on the square of the Royal Palace in Madrid, it occurs to me that there was a master plan to its layout. I consider it Europe’s third greatest palace (after Versailles, near Paris, and Schönbrunn in Vienna) — over the years, while updating my Spain guidebook, I’ve probably visited it at least ten times. And I always learn more to shuffle into the book, and find it a joy to see.

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