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Video: Looking Around in Lively Lisbon

While filming in Lisbon this week it kept occurring to me that this city is so interesting, you can turn on your camera almost anywhere and create a fun, stream-of-consciousness video clip. Check this out.

(By the way, when we first got to town, we hired a little three-wheeled tuk-tuk like the one in the video to scout all the scenes we planned to film — €50 per hour and lots of fun.)

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This is Day 42 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: Beauty — Brought to You by Spice

I love cloisters, and perhaps my favorite anywhere is in Lisbon at the Monastery of Jerónimos. In this clip, I marvel at the beauty spice-trade money could create 500 years ago. There are gorgeous cloisters all over Europe. Which is your favorite?

This is Day 41 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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The Stones Don’t Change…But People Do

A fun dimension of my work is being somewhere and realizing, “I stood right here as a student so long ago.” Just the other day, I was rambling the ramparts of the Moorish Castle above Sintra (as I’m inclined to do when on the ramparts of ruined Moorish castles with grand views of the sea and Reconquista images combusting in my head). I rambled these same ramparts in the 1970s, and have an old photograph of me with the light of the setting sun creating a fun effect (backlighting me and my happy bellbottoms). It has made this spot a special one for me ever since.

And so, I returned to those same ramparts with my TV crew. I didn’t know exactly where that old photo was taken, but — as if I had a Geiger counter for travel magic — I found where the feeling was right and had a second photo taken. It was the same spot. It’s fun to see the effect of the years going by — 40 of them — both on the ramparts and on me.

Rick Steves in 1977 and 2017

This is Day 40 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: When in Porto, Eat, Eat, Eat

A couple of years ago, while researching my Portugal guidebook, I explored the crusty old industrial city of Porto. There I joined tour guide André Apolinário on one of his “Taste Porto” food tours. I raved about André’s tour in my guidebook listing, and that experience (as much as any other) inspired me to come back now with the TV crew and shoot a new show on the heartland of Portugal.

André saved a morning just for our crew to film his food tour. We scrambled to find four other tourists who would join the tour while we stopped and started it during three hours of filming. We had a great time — with camera rolling — eating our way through Porto. Anywhere in Europe these days — in fact, almost anywhere in the world — you can enjoy a fun and experiential education about a culture on a food tour. When in Porto, André’s tours are worth planning for. This clip shows us on the last of five stops, with three tasty plates: chicken gizzards stewed in tomatoes and chili peppers; octopus salad; and smoked ham that’s been aged 24 months.

This is Day 39 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Port Wine on the Douro

port wine bottles

An essential slice of Portugal is the Douro River Valley where the beloved port wine is produced. The winding, terraced, and scenic river valley, so famous for its wine, is a bit like Germany’s Rhine Valley — but much sleepier and without castles. The vineyards, called “quintas,” are known for their traditions and the welcome they offer travelers — with both accommodations and wine tastings.

douro river

As we traveled through Portugal for six days to film our “Heartland of Portugal” TV episode, our guide was Cristina Duarte (who normally guides Rick Steves’ Europe Tours through her home country of Portugal). For our Douro experience, she took us where she takes her tour groups: to the Quinta de Santa Eufémia. It was a delightful stop both for the chance to film a gorgeous old quinta (showing the port-making process) and to enjoy the hospitality of the family (which included an unforgettable lunch under a tree surrounded by vines). In these shots, you can see our TV crew of three (producer Simon Griffith, cameraman Karel Bauer, and me) hard at work — experiencing the edible culture as we film it. The final shot: sweet port wine with a sweet family enjoying a sweet Douro River Valley view. An unforgettable slice of Portugal.

wine tasting Karel Bauer, Rick Steves, Simon Griffith wine tasting Wine tasting

This is Day 38 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.