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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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Dinner with Our Ambassador in Sofia

When filming in Europe we very rarely accept invitations for fancy gatherings or meals from local officials or VIPs. (In Tehran, working on our Iran special a few years ago, we even said no thanks to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who invited us to meet with him.) It just gets in the way of our work. But I love Bulgaria, so we made an exception when the US ambassador to Bulgaria, Eric Rubin, invited us for dinner. We enjoyed a wonderful evening in Sofia (Bulgaria’s capital) with Ambassador Rubin, his wife Nicole, and his staff. It was a more casual dinner than their norm, and we (especially my East Europe co-author, Cameron Hewitt, who’s joined us for this shoot) enjoyed a fascinating evening “wonking out” with Eastern Europe experts.

While so many Americans are cynical these days about our civil servants, we came away thankful that we have smart, experienced, and hard-working people like Ambassador Rubin and his staff. They are dedicated to maintaining stability in this complicated corner of our shaky world. The thought that someone as experienced as Rubin could be replaced by a new president with a political appointment (a crony or fund-raiser) who had no previous experience or interest in that country (as often happens) is heartbreaking. Ambassador Rubin assured me that it generally happens in the nicer posts (Norway or Ireland, for example) where the cronies would enjoy living — rather than the tougher, more challenging posts like Somalia or Pakistan. (Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, for example, was sent to Japan rather than Kuwait.)

I felt funny shooting a video in his living room. But I wanted to share with you a quick look at the evening and the lovely place where the USA entertains in Bulgaria. By the way, Ambassador Rubin is the gregarious guy with the brown shirt gesturing at the end of this clip.

This is Day 45 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

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Bulgarian Beginnings: A Stroll in the Park

Hello Bulgaria. I have an affinity for Bulgaria — so overlooked and underappreciated…and so charming in a Slavic way. In my student days I spent lots of time exploring Bulgaria and its capital city Sofia: playing chess in the park, watching paranoid people huddled on street corners talking sports and wishing they could talk politics, seeing locals dutifully lining up to visit waxy figures in public mausoleums. Today, I’m back in Sofia in those same parks where people still gather and the old guys still play chess. But, while it’s still one of Europe’s poorest countries, Bulgaria is free and, step-by-step, building a new prosperity.

I finished this video with a bandstand in the distance where little schoolgirls were dancing to the latest pop tune. Only later was I reminded that this is the exact spot where the mausoleum of Bulgaria’s first communist dictator, Georgi Dimitrov, once stood. This is where the grandparents of those little dancers spent a good part of their rare vacations lining up to view Dimitrov’s embalmed body — the Bulgarian version of Lenin’s Tomb.

(Hold on — this clip is as smooth as a piggyback ride. We’re just kicking off a wild ride through Bulgaria and Romania.)

This is Day 44 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

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My Colleague Cameron Hewitt Is Ruining Lucca

Cameron Hewitt (my wonderful co-author and fellow guidebook researcher) is ruining Lucca. That’s my job: to take an undiscovered, untouristy gem and then tell the world all about it. Cameron’s just done that with Italy’s Lucca (just a stone’s throw from Pisa) in an insightful way supported by delicious photos as only Cameron does. Sure — it’s just everyday, Old World Italy with no famous art masterpieces; it’s not on anyone’s bucket list…that’s the whole idea.

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Cameron is reporting on his European travels in tandem with me this spring on his blog. If you enjoy Cameron’s take on Europe, be sure to also “like” his Facebook page — he’ll be reporting from Salzburg and the Austrian Alps before meeting up with me and our TV crew in Bulgaria and Romania. Don’t miss out on Cameron’s keen insights.

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Why Spanish Potheads Are Called “Kangaroos”

Cannabis lounge

I was in a cannabis club sharing marijuana jokes with a table of friends in Madrid. One girl referred to her boyfriend as a “kangaroo.” I asked why and she told me.

Spaniards call potheads “kangaroos” because when the police come, they stow their joints – not in pockets which can be legally searched – but inside their underpants where the police can’t go without a warrant – hence the nickname “kangaroo.” (In Spain you actually need a warrant to search someone’s underwear.) This quick stash is done so routinely by so many people here that, over time and with evolution, Spaniards may develop a kangaroo-like pouch just below their bellies.

This is Day 43 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

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Want to Smoke Marijuana in Spain? Join a Club

I’ve left France for Bulgaria, where I’m meeting with my TV crew. But first, a few thoughts on my earlier experience in Spain.

Cannabis Club Choko is a discreet, simple, and tasteful lounge in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. Its members relax any night of the week to enjoy the privileges of being a part of their club — to smoke the weed they collectively own without getting arrested.

Of course pot is not legal in Spain. But, like many countries, Spain has an artful way of letting people smoke with discretion and not get arrested. While Amsterdam’s coffeeshops are more gritty, I found Spain’s cannabis clubs more elegant. (I am now a temporary member of a club in Madrid and in Barcelona.)

Cannabis clubs are private, not public. You technically don’t buy weed, you co-own the production. I was able to get a temporary membership with a local friend, but to join there’s lots of forms and, technically, you need a local address. Spaniards told me, “We are used to dealing with old laws that should be changed but don’t. We build little fantasies to dance artfully around them.”

There’s a huge variety of clubs – this one supports urban art and showcases local artists. (It’s famous for its mesmerizingly beautiful “Choko Club Head” by Shaka.) Reputable clubs don’t advertise. They’re funded by annual membership fees. As they can’t make any profit; this one puts on impressive cultural events to spend its extra money.

Because the big risk is neighbors complaining about the noise or smell, clubs are often in edgy neighborhoods and are extremely discreet and quiet. The ones I visited close at midnight and, of course, don’t allow minors. In Spain, I was told you can smoke with impunity. But if you sell even one joint, you might as well sell a kilo — it’s very serious with the police.

The Basque and Catalunya regions are ahead of the rest of Spain when it comes to marijuana laws. Generally Spaniards know there’s cheap stuff on the streets, but they prefer to pay more for predictable quality in clubs. Vaporizers may be the rage in the USA and in France, but in Spain they just don’t sell. Whether tobacco or marijuana, Spaniards simply love to actually smoke.

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You might not find these terms in your Spanish phrasebook.

In Spain, since the economic crisis, there’s a big roll-your-own culture with tobacco. People just can’t afford regular cigarettes. I was told pre-rolled cigarettes are not only more expensive, but they end up causing you to smoke more. A normal cigarette has more tobacco than a smoker really wants and, since people don’t want to waste tobacco, they end up smoking more than they would if they rolled their own. Now, more cigarette smokers in Spain are smoking little DIY cigarettes that look like joints. And that makes it much easier to get away with smoking a joint in public here in Spain, as people assume you’re smoking tobacco.

(Stay tuned. Tomorrow I finally explain why Spanish potheads are nicknamed “Kangaroos.”)

This is Day 42 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.