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Rick Steves’ Travel Blog

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

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Rothenburg’s Anneliese Friese, 1927 — 2017

Anneliese Friese, rest in peace

The medieval town of Rothenburg holds a special place in the hearts of Americans. A highlight for many travelers has been meeting Anneliese Friese, the charming woman who for decades ran her family’s souvenir shop — teeming with very German knick-knacks — just off the market square. Anneliese died last Tuesday and Rothenburg has lost one of the endearing characters that gave a charming human dimension to its venerable cobbles and facades.

While I generally make a point to not recommend tourist shops, for 30 years I’ve included The Friese Shop in my guidebooks, due to the sheer power of Anneliese’s personality and love of helping out visiting travelers.

Anneliese was also a founding member of Rothenburg’s English Conversation Club, which has been meeting every Wednesday for decades. This was her passion, where she would join both locals and tourists in a weekly excuse to get together, drink, and practice their fanciest English on each other. Every time I visited Rothenburg, if I was there on a Wednesday, I’d meander into the candlelit pub and squeeze a three-legged stool up to a table already crowded with Anneliese and the gang. She’d pour me a glass of wine, and we’d share our favorite slang and tongue twisters.

This photo shows Anneliese with her son Bernie and me. Bernie and his family will keep the shop going, but we’ll all miss his mother. Bless you, Anneliese, and thanks for the decades that you put delightful bits of Franconia into a box and shipped it home so we could enjoy those wonderful Rothenburg memories.

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Video: Tipsy at the Top of the Ship

After raiding the minibar, I found myself all alone in a storm at midnight on the top deck of my cruise ship. I was a little lonely and feeling guilty that I haven’t been writing about all the great places we’ve been on this cruise — so I made you this little clip.

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Video: Marveling at my Cruise Ship

We’re wrapping up nearly two weeks at sea, our cruise show (a one-hour “Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruising” special to air on public television in January 2019) is in the can, it’s midnight, and we’ll be in Barcelona by the morning.

Join me in this clip as I journey from the top deck to my stateroom. I was going to tell you all about the wonders of the room card, which is also your on-board credit card and ID card…but I’m a bit tired and loopy, and I forgot. Still, here’s a quick little look at our ship (Celebrity Cruises’ good ship Reflection).

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Video: Terminal Happiness for Independent Cruisers

My TV crew and I are on a Mediterranean cruise, filming a special that will air on public television in January 2019. One of my main goals for the show is to help independent travelers make the most of the cruising experience. Here’s one big tip: Consider your shore excursions carefully.

While easygoing cruisers may choose to book an excursion from the cruise line for $100 (or more) a crack, there are many other legitimate options that open up to passengers once they step off the ship. Some travelers may opt to find a small company with a box office in the terminal — and have essentially the same experience for about half the price. Meanwhile, others will book a private guide with a car or minibus in advance (using sites such as Cruise Critic to team up with other cruisers and share the expense). And others will simply hop on a public bus or hike to the train station (guidebook in hand) and do their own thing. For the most reliable information, I recommend skipping the onboard shore excursion information desks. Instead, head to the tourist information kiosks that are set up to greet ships in each port.

As the cruising industry grows, more and more cities are investing in terminals that can accommodate these massive ships (and their payload of tourists). In this clip, I’ll take you for a quick walk through the terminal at La Spezia, Italy. From here, you can get to Florence (a couple of hours away by bus), Pisa, Lucca, and the Cinque Terre.

(Note, however, that I don’t recommend that cruise ship travelers try to see the Cinque Terre. It is not designed to handle masses of quickie half-day visits by cruisers. Locals don’t appreciate “looky-loos” from cruise ships, notorious for arriving all at once at peak time and congesting the villages and trails, without staying for dinner or spending the night. The crowds can be frustrating for all involved.)

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Video: Nice is Nice as Ever

As Europe continues to endure terrorist attacks, fear-mongering politicians and media seem eager for these to have a greater impact than they deserve. Sure, these events are tragic…but no more so than other equally-deadly non-terror-related tragedies.

Lately, I’ve been visiting sites where terrible terror events have occurred: London’s Westminster Bridge, Barcelona’s Las Ramblas, Brussels’ airport, and Nice’s Promenade des Anglais. At most sites of vehicle attacks, there are now bollards in place to stop murderous cars from entering.

I’ve been in Europe five months so far this year…and, clearly, Europe (while working on security) is embracing life, not fear. With this more reasonable and thoughtful response, potential terrorists become lowly criminals with intent to terrorize and do not get the hoped-for results they wasted their lives for. Join me in this clip for a stroll on Nice’s wonderful Promenade des Anglais.