Yesterday, I shared a page from the original manuscript of my first guidebook. And today, I thought you might enjoy a peek at my first website. Here’s how ricksteves.com looked when it went live in 1996. It’s funny how much things change — and how much they stay the same. Our AOL email address is long gone, but we’re still working to help you make the most out of every mile, minute, and dollar on your next European adventure.
In 1979, a little battle was waging in my mind: Should I build a log cabin or write a travel book? I had the wooded lot in the Cascade Mountains, had picked the spot for the cabin, and took a log-cabin building class. I even had a line on the trailer I’d live in while constructing the cabin. But when the reality of peeling and aging logs set in, the competing big project — writing a travel book — won out.
Here’s a peek at the original manuscript of my first guidebook. I wrote it by simply writing out my lectures. (As you can see, I have always been evangelical about packing light!) I sweet-talked my girlfriend into typing it on a rented IBM Selectric, and my college roommate sketched the illustrations with a ball-point pen. Corrections were typed, carefully cut out, and glue-sticked onto the pages. Then I drove the precious bundle of pages to Snohomish Publishing, and — on my 25th birthday — returned to pick up 2,500 bound copies of the first edition of Europe Through the Back Door.
Click to enlarge.
I was so green, I didn’t know to put on an ISBN. And the cover was so simple, people in the media thought the finished product was a pre-publication edition. But it sold. What a long, strange trip it’s been since then!
The first edition of Europe Through the Back Door.
I recently received an email from my friend (and retired Rick Steves Tours Sales Manager), Deanna Woodruff. She was writing from a Washington Huskies football game, where she had just seen me up on the jumbotron. It turns out that the Huskies are still sharing a fun little ad that BECU put together in 2011. In the clip, some of my favorite University of Washington alums sing a rousing fight song chorus — while I put my hot air to good use on a sousaphone.
https://youtu.be/CsAU2-CtIL4
It was actually my love of the sousaphone that first brought me to the UW: I transferred from the University of Puget Sound because I wanted to play with the top-notch Husky Marching Band. It was a real thrill to be able to show my purple-and-gold spirit again. Go Huskies!
Here I am (on the far-left) in 1972, tooting away on my sousaphone in our high school German oompah band.
My schedule has been really packed with fun recently. Since Sunday, I’ve been in Washington, DC, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. And right before I got here, I enjoyed a whirlwind lecture tour through Kansas City, Grand Junction, and Milwaukee. It was a great little trip, filled with crowds crazy about travel, and I got to talk in beautiful halls — such as Milwaukee’s venerable Pabst Theater.
Photo: Wade Johnston
Rather than make people wait politely in the conventional long line for an autograph, after I give a talk I like to hang out in the lobby and just say, “Pretend you’re in Italy and there’s no line…just gather around, and I’ll turn in a circle, signing whatever’s in front of me until there’s nothing left to sign.” The pandemonium is always a lot of fun (and far quicker than the alternative).
Photo: Matt Perley
In Milwaukee, I had an unforgettable experience during my post-talk scrum. For 20 years, I’ve closed each episode of Rick Steves’ Europe with the tagline, “Keep on travelin’.” I’ve seen my sign-off line on hats, T-shirts, and journals. But this was a first: Three happy travelers actually greeted me with brand-new “Keep on Travelin’” tattoos.
And in Grand Junction, I spoke to a very spirited crowd at the Colorado Tourism Conference. Many people at the conference were using their state’s name as a verb — and, that night, I was very nearly “Colorado’d” myself. To add memories to the already-fun little road trip, I dropped by the Twisted Turtle for some high-altitude fun and went local, for a moment, with the help of a fine cowboy hat.
Today, Lutherans everywhere are commemorating Reformation Day — the 500th anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg’s Castle Church, kicking off the Protestant Reformation. I’m in Washington, DC, and I’ve been celebrating since Sunday.
Whenever a big church event is held here, it’s likely to be at the Washington National Cathedral, a must-see attraction when visiting our capital. On Reformation Sunday, thousands of Lutherans filled the place. It was High Church at its best — lots of bishops, red scarves and ties everywhere, a celebration of many cultures, and amazing music. Being among so many Lutherans singing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (our “fight song”) made it particularly unforgettable. And I got to enjoy a few lighthearted moments before the service with my friend, David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World (an organization we’ve supported for decades through our work at Rick Steves’ Europe).
After the service, I partied at the Mayflower Hotel with our wonderful Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, and church leaders from far and wide. For the first time in my life, I wore a bowtie — thanks to some thoughtful friends who saw I was a bit underdressed and had neglected to wear the color of the day: red. Wearing a fancy little bowtie at the Mayflower Hotel…it just made perfect sense.
Together with Bishop Eaton, we celebrated diversity. We raised a glass to Elizabeth Platz, who became the first female Lutheran pastor in 1970, and we honored guests from around the world. Of course, my Lutheran heritage is as white as can be, but there are far higher proportions of Lutherans in several African countries — including Tanzania and Namibia —than there are in the USA. I’m also proud that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was a leader in welcoming gay members and clergy — even though that caused hundreds of congregations to leave, in search of less open churches.
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton
Today, we’re in the midst of an impressive capital campaign to make both our foundation and our reach stronger. And, while Luther managed to split the “one catholic and universal Church,” a big part of our 500th-anniversary joy is how, after five centuries — with leadership from both Pope Francis and Bishop Eaton — the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church have never been closer and healthier in their shared mission.
Yesterday, our group visited the delightful Folger Shakespeare Library (just a block behind the Capitol). The library has one of the world’s top collections of books and documents from the Reformation and the 16th century. They welcomed us with an amazing literary treat: a table of precious works from the age of Luther, including an actual papal indulgence — one of the things that riled Luther the most. These were coupons, printed up en masse and sold by the Roman Church, promising forgiveness and a quicker ride to Heaven.
What about you? I’d love to hear about how you are celebrating the the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
