Smaller text Larger text

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

Posted on

The Nasty Cs: Corruption, Conflict, and Climate Change

I’m in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the headquarters of the African Union — and I’m so inspired by their bold mission, I just had to share it with you.

First, it’s important to understand some history. Back when the industrialized nations of the West were becoming developed, colonial powers were actively “under-developing” Africa. For example, European colonial powers built up infrastructure in Africa — but they designed it to export African resources, rather than connect Africa’s many societies.

In this clip, you’ll meet Ibrahim Gariba. Ibrahim, who is from Ghana, helped me get a better grip on how the African Union is working to fight what I call “The Nasty Cs”— Corruption, Conflict, and Climate Change — and help Africa develop.

By the way, Ethiopia was never colonized (except for a short period of Italian occupation under Mussolini), so it’s no wonder that its capital, Addis Ababa, serves as a kind of diplomatic capital of the continent.

—

Join our traveling community — connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Posted on

Traveling — and Learning — in the Developing World

smiling rick steves with two school-aged girls who are laughing

 

Tena yistilign!  I’m kicking off a special trip through Ethiopia and Guatemala, and I’m excited to bring you along.

I’m traveling here to learn about the fundamentals of extreme poverty and smart development — and to scout locations for a new one-hour public television special about world hunger. I plan to return to film the show in April, and then release it about a year from now. All along, I’ll be connecting with smart and passionate people working on the ground in the developing world, where economies are kindling like never before. (And I’ll also be getting to know regular people, like these two delightful school girls in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, who showed me, in an unforgettable way, the fruits of a developing nation that is committed to providing education for all its children.)

There’s a lot to learn and a lot to share, so stay tuned for much more over the next few weeks.

—

Join our traveling community — connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Posted on

When Fascism Feels Normal…It’s Too Late

 

As a child traveling in Europe, I met a piano player who was a concentration camp survivor. I remember watching the serial number tattooed on his wrist sliding in and out of his sleeve as he played. He told me stories of his experience…stories that I would never forget.

Nearly 50 years later, as the firsthand memory of Europe’s fascist nightmare in the 20th century is dying along with the last survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi Germany, I felt a responsibility to produce a documentary on the topic. So, I did. “Rick Steves’ The Story of Fascism in Europe” is airing now across the USA on public television (check your local listings) and streaming online for free. I’d like to challenge you to watch just five minutes of it right now…and see if you can then not watch the rest.  

I’ve long had an ethic as a tour guide: Never take a group to Germany without a pilgrimage to a concentration camp. Today, I believe history is speaking to us. And, as a historian, tour guide, and public television host, I hear it, and I embrace the challenge of sharing its lessons.

Protecting our democracy is a matter of stewardship. Sometimes you need to go into the past to understand the present. And sometimes you need to leave your country to understand the importance of dealing smartly with the challenges it faces.

Germany possesses massive depots of swastika banners. These banners still exist — but they are kept locked up, for fear of stoking hateful rage at a rally. Germany understands that the ideology of fascism never dies. They need to be vigilant in keeping it down. And Germany knows that when fascism feels normal, it’s too late.

Please. Vote.

 

Posted on

Oradour-sur-Glane, France: Remember.

For decades, I’ve gathered impressions about Europe’s experience with fascism in my travels. Like many of you, I have stood amid the physical remains of that dark period — the Anne Frank House, the WWII Normandy American Cemetery, the Valley of the Fallen — and I’ve been deeply moved.

Oradour-sur-Glane, France

The powerful narratives behind these sights were the inspiration for my new one-hour special, “The Story of Fascism in Europe,” airing now on public television (check your local listings) and streaming for free online. In the special, I travel back a century to learn how fascism rose and then fell in Europe, taking millions of people with it.

I was struck today by an article on Daily Kos. In the article, Ernest Bass shares his thoughts on my special and describes some of the lessons he’s learned in his own travels — including a stunning and sobering visit to one of the most moving Nazi sights in all of Europe: Oradour-sur-Glane.

In 1944, Nazi SS troops entered the French village of Oradour-sur-Glane and, with cool attention to detail, methodically rounded up all 642 townspeople. The women and children were herded into the town church, where they were tear-gassed and machine-gunned. Plaques mark the place where the town’s men were gathered and executed. Ultimately, the whole town was set on fire, leaving 642 victims under a silent blanket of ashes.

The ghost town of Oradour-sur-Glane has been left untouched for more than 70 years, its scorched sewing machines, pots, pans, bikes, and cars preserved as an eternal reminder of the reality of war. Visitors are greeted by a simple sign with just one word: Remember.

As history continues to unfold around us today, it’s important to acknowledge that freedom and democracy are not guaranteed. We are all participants, and we are all responsible — and the first step of that responsibility is, simply…to remember.

 

Posted on

Video: Looking Back at my Response to Governor LePage About Pot

I was traveling through Michigan and North Dakota last week, on a mission to help legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana — and I felt like I was in a parallel universe, where this is still a controversial topic. Back home in Washington State, which voted to legalize six years ago, marijuana is old news. I don’t even bother going to Hempfest anymore. It’s just not the same. There’s nothing sexy about pot. Grandma’s rubbing it on her elbow.

Meanwhile, regressive politicians elsewhere are still mouthing the same “Reefer Madness” propaganda, as they fall farther and farther behind the public’s sensibility about the prohibition on marijuana. In 2016, I enjoyed rebutting drug warriors like Maine Governor Paul LePage, point-per-ridiculous-point — as you can see in this clip. And last week, I was doing the same in Michigan and North Dakota.

 

 

(By the way, Maine rejected LePage’s ideas…and legalized marijuana.)