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
Driving from château to château to research and improve our France guidebook, co-author Steve Smith and I have shifted into our updating groove. I find the lanes of trees leading up to the Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte attractive, not only in how they look but why they are there. The countryside of France is filled with charms like this.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
I’m just getting into my new trip. This time I’m in France — working on TV shows and updating our France and Paris guidebooks with my co-author Steve Smith.
I’ve spent this past week in Paris working on the guidebook. With the luxury of an entire week to settle into one place, I’ve been able to connect with this city like never before: sipping a kir before dinner (a genteel-feeling way to begin a meal)…spending enough time to really “be” in the Orangerie so I could take a virtual stroll around the edge of Monet’s lily pond with the artist himself…developing a taste for pistachio macaroons…looking forward to hearing the folk troupe of Russian musicians that plays in the Métro station nearest my hotel…and getting used to setting my nighttime clock by the Eiffel Tower doing its top-of-the-hour, crazy-twinkle routine.
Last night, outside of Paris, in Chartres, I had some quality time all alone with the Gothic statues of Chartres Cathedral. The setting sun brought life to the expressions on their delicately carved faces. As I stood there, quiet and unrushed, it almost felt as though they were struggling to share with me the stories they’ve told eight centuries of pilgrims. I took some of the best photos I can remember — then celebrated with a salade de gésiers of bouncy lettuce and chicken innards, washed down with a life-is-good carafe of red house wine.
Back at my hotel, as I sorted through my intimate moments with those statues through the viewing screen of my camera, I accidentally erased everything on my memory card. Lesson learned: Never cull-out photos with a wine buzz.
Considering the images I’d lost, at first I was depressed. Then, I decided to let my memory of those images be a reminder of the richness of the travel experiences I’ve enjoyed in just a few days so far on this trip: Biking through the vast and fanciful garden of Versailles…tasting duck and mango at the same time…thrilling at mountain climbers rappelling down the side of the Eiffel Tower…learning to open a crayfish properly with the chef at a great new fish restaurant on the Left Bank…visiting the army museum and empathizing with Napoleon’s gloom after Waterloo and France’s enthusiasm for de Gaulle after WWII…checking out the new, lovable little electric car Renault has on display on the Champs-Elysées…taking a virtual stroll with Monet along the banks of his water-lily pond, painted lovingly onto a vast canvas at the Orangerie…and thinking how impressive it is that little tiny children here already speak French…
Yes, my photos are gone, and from now on I’ll back things up more carefully. But, photos or not, memories like these will stick with me forever, and vividly.
Tomorrow it’s on to Amboise. My trip is just starting and it’s so clear, the memory stick that really matters is the one atop my shoulders.
Happy travels!
Former Staff Sergeant John Ashford sent us a letter that we found inspirational. I’ve heard from many people about how our travel shows bring a little sunshine into their lives, but this was one of the most powerful. Thanks for traveling with us, John, and thanks for your service. — Rick
Dear Rick:
I was a staff sergeant in an infantry platoon of the Oregon Army National Guard, deployed to Iraq for 12 very long and hot months.
Based upon our performance and capabilities, my platoon was selected by the commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division to be the division’s Quick Reactionary Force while in Iraq — we were the “911” that other units called when they needed help. We were an outstanding unit and were requested by several Special Operation Forces to work with them, based upon our reputation and abilities.
Bottom line, we saw a lot of action and took the causalities that came with it. My platoon was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for actions in combat, the highest award the President of the United States can bestow upon a military unit.
There are not many things an infantryman gets to look forward to in life except for hot chow and sleep. If things get bad, he will give up food for sleep because he knows that he can go longer without food than he can go without sleep.
On those rare occasions when we were back in our hooches after our missions were complete — and it had not been another 18-hour day, I would get out my Rick Steves DVDs. I cannot tell you just how much your travel shows helped me to make it through some very dark days. It was my way of escaping for a brief time and not having to deal with all of the ugliness of war, both physically and mentally.
I am not exactly sure how many times I watched your DVDs but I can tell you that if it were not for them, I might not have been able to deal with some of the terrible situations we had to overcome while we were in country.
I just wanted to let you know that I truly appreciate you and your staff’s hard work in putting together your travel guidebooks and travel DVDs.
— John Ashford, Vancouver, WA
My son, Andy Steves, has worked hard to create his own student travel company, Weekend Student Adventures. And these days, he’s far better established in the foreign study world than I am. Through Andy’s work, I realized that a huge number of people are involved in foreign study. After talking with Andy about this summer’s NAFSA (National Association of Foreign Study Advisors) convention in Vancouver, we decided to join him there. Booths aren’t cheap, but it’s the biggest travel fair I’ve seen, and the people there all share the same travel philosophy: Let’s make friends with the world! Here’s a quick video clip that captures the energy of this show (featuring Andy’s booth — and his staff, and ours). For more about our new vision to help equip teachers with helpful materials to enhance their foreign study work, see my Rick Steves for Teachers website.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
I’m heading for Paris, and discovered this video — by a brilliant travel guru named Steve Ricks — filled with tips as well as inspiration. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. (Nice work, Steve, but those glasses just have to go.)
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.