Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick
Happy Palm Sunday. In honor of Holy Week, I’m sharing daily clips from Rick Steves’ European Easter, my one-hour public television special that’s airing now nationwide (check your local listings) and streaming online.
In today’s clip, we’ll experience one of Europe’s most bombastic Holy Week celebrations: the processions of Sevilla’s Semana Santa. Beginning on Palm Sunday, neighborhood congregations around Sevilla adorn their floats with flowers and candles, as “costaleros” prepare to carry those floats through the streets on their backs, amid a parade of cloaked penitents.
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For the next week, to celebrate Easter with an international flair, I’ll be sharing daily clips from Rick Steves’ European Easter, my one-hour public television special that’s airing now nationwide (check your local listings) and streaming online.
In today’s clip, we see how traditional corners of Europe — from Italy’s Le Marche to Slovenia’s Lake Bled — prepare for their own local versions of the Easter feast. And we’ll meet an adorable band of Italian preschoolers bringing Easter joy to a retirement home.
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Heading to an interview in Manhattan, my driver mentioned that we were passing under the 59th Street Bridge — which is now officially named the “Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.” Being there took me right back to sixth grade and my favorite song, “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” written by Simon & Garfunkel and covered by Harpers Bizarre. Travel has me feelin’ groovy in any hemisphere.
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I just spent a month traveling around the USA — a long string of one-night hotel stays, one-way plane rides, lectures, pledge drives, and publicity work. My schedule was really packed — but I was able to mix in a lot of fun, too.
I’ve always been inspired by our country’s mighty cities. On this trip, the venerable Gotham cityscapes in Chicago, New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia had me thinking of the great urban visions of the 1920s, and how important and enduring things happen when people think big and collaborate.
In New York City, I spent a wonderful evening with Bill Moyers and his wife (and professional collaborator), Judith.
I’ve long admired Bill’s high-minded and hard-hitting journalism, which is so clearly grounded in a passion for democracy and a strong Christian faith. We’ve both done a lot of work on public television, and, over the years, I had heard that he and Judith enjoyed my show. So, I let them know I had a free evening in New York City — and they invited me to drop by their home, a beautiful condo in a grand old building that overlooks Central Park. They’ve lived there since the 1980s, and it’s filled with souvenirs of a life spent in public service and with illustrious friends. We talked travel over wine for several delightful hours.
The next day, I had a to buy a pair of slacks. I had an interview scheduled at the New York Stock Exchange — which has a “no jeans” dress code. I got the slacks — and had a lot of fun talking with two very smart hosts on Cheddar TV, an online financial news network.
After my NYSE adventure wrapped up, I was back in my jeans — and off to the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble to talk about the third edition of my book Travel as a Political Act. It was a particularly great crowd, filled with fun energy and overflowing into the aisles.
Photo: Bill Newlin
In California, I gave a series of nightly talks in Beverly Hills, Redondo Beach, Thousand Oaks, and Pasadena — followed by an entire free day with my daughter, Jackie, her boyfriend, Damian, and my partner, Trish.
Whenever we have a chance to sightsee in this hemisphere, I love letting Jackie be the tour guide. We started off the day at the remarkable Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, which has an impressive collection of art (rivaling any major sight in Europe). I particularly enjoyed “Pinkie,” by Sir Thomas Lawrence.
Strolling through the Huntington’s botanical gardens, Damian suddenly realized Jackie had dyed her hair an incredible shade of red.
And we had to make a stop at Two Boots Pizza, in Echo Park. Back in 2008, they flew my niece, Nicolina, to LA to paint a mural for their grand opening. Nicolina lives in New York City, where she “paints the town” (as her window-painting business is called) and is well-known for her amazing street art. She’s the only artist in our family — so we were sure to make a pilgrimage to visit her work.
We spent the afternoon in Beverly Hills, pretending to be in the market for a house. We visited homes listed for $1 million, $3 million, and $15 million — which came with a bitchin’ view. (And I thought Seattle home prices were high.)
Being with Jackie was the perfect cap to a great month on the American road.
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Last year, when my publisher mentioned that my book Travel as a Political Act needed to be reprinted, I suggested that we entirely update it to reflect all the recent changes in our world, including Brexit, Erdogan, the refugee crisis, and Trump. They agreed and suggested we also produce it as an audio book.
It was a big job, but we did it, and the new edition of Travel as a Political Act is now available as a paperback, an ebook, and an audio book. Reading the entire book in a tiny recording booth was one of the hardest things I’ve done in a long time. But now it’s out, and all over the USA people are listening to me talk for just over ten hours about the most important lessons I’ve learned from a wonderful lifetime of travels.
If you enjoy listening to books and are curious about our world, you’ll love joining me on this audio adventure. To get you started, here’s a four-minute clip.
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