Travel with Rick Steves

We're looking high and low for adventures in the Southern Hemisphere on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. Adventure travel specialist Kurt Kutay (koo-TYE) fills us in on Peru's attractions, such as trekking to Machu Picchu in the Andes, and interacting with indigenous cultures and spotting wildlife in the Amazon. And, Rick calls travel writer David Stanley to learn how travelers can find a warm welcome in Fiji, and how it compares to its neighbors in the South Pacific. Join us for adventures in the Southern Hemisphere to Peru and Fiji, on the next Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Ursula Klaus, a licensed tour guide and art historian from Vienna, uncovers the city's elegant charm. She highlights Vienna's rich café culture, showcasing its iconic pastries like Sachertorte. Listeners discover affordable opera tickets and experience the enchanting music scene. Klaus also explores the significance of Heuriger, traditional wine taverns, and offers practical travel tips for navigating Austria. With a blend of cultural insights and personal anecdotes, she captures Vienna's essence as the perfect blend of history and leisure.

Some of the best souvenirs you can gather from your travels reside on your taste buds. On the next Travel with Rick Steves, Rick explores some of the comfort foods that his European friends enjoy in Paris, Madrid, and Tuscany, and how you can enjoy them when you visit their regions. We'll get advice on preparing and eating escargot (ess-car-GO) and steak tartare (tar-TAR), and get a recipe on how to mix up your own batch of sangria (san-GREE-ah). And we hear from listeners about some of their memorable food encounters overseas. We're whetting our appetites, European style, on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Could Americans and Europeans benefit from an honest conversation with each other about their different ways of viewing society and the world? On this week's Travel with Rick Steves, we'll do just that, as Rick invites a best-selling French author and philosopher into the studio. Rick discusses some of the French stereotypes that fuel American prejudices with Bernard-Henri Levy (ber-NARD on-REE leh-VEE). They examine issues France faces as part of the European Union, and suggest ways that our two societies can learn from each other. Plus, Rick offers suggestions to listeners considering an off-season trip to Europe or traveling with teenage grandkids, on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. FOR STATIONS WHICH HAVE ALREADY AIRED PGM #45: Could Americans and Europeans benefit from an honest conversation with each other about their different ways of viewing society and the world? On this week's Travel with Rick Steves, we'll do just that, as Rick invites a best-selling French author and philosopher back into the studio. Rick discusses some of the French stereotypes that fuel American prejudices with Bernard-Henri Levy (ber-NARD on-REE leh-VEE). They examine issues France faces as part of the European Union, and suggest ways that our two societies can learn from each other. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

In recent years, South Africa has awakened from its Apartheid-induced embargo to become one of the continent's most popular destinations. There's plenty to experience with its local cultures and spectacular natural beauty, but it's not really the kind of place the backdoor traveler can confidently experience without doing some homework first. Rick learns about the emerging tourism industry in South Africa from Carmin Arnot, who was born in Capetown, and now plans adventure travel for North American visitors. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Because it had a tense relationship with the United States for many years, Nicaragua remains a rather mysterious destination for many Norte Americanos. On this week's Travel with Rick Steves, Rick chats with Randall Wood, who married into the culture, and has authored two guidebooks to Nicaragua. He'll take listener calls and provide an overview of how the country is doing today. Plus, we'll open the phones for listener comments and questions on jet lag and get the real story about Transylvania. It's on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Knowing what's behind the walls, as well as what goes into them, can be quite the illuminating experience. Rick invites architecture professor Kathryn Rogers Merlino from the University of Washington to help make sense of flying buttresses and Roman ruins. And for something exotic, we'll also get a snapshot of what it's like to visit Katmandu, and read our latest round of listeners' travel haiku. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

If you like the people, tempo, and joy of living you find in Italy then you'll love Sicily. But for some Americans, the frenzied yet laid-back style of Italy's big southern island can be a bit overwhelming. So on this week's Travel with Rick Steves local tour guide Alfio di Mauro AHL-fee-oh dee MOW-ro) joins Rick to take listener calls and offer insider tips on getting the most out of a vacation to Sicily. And, for something completely different, German tour guide Christoph Dressler returns with an overview of the Black Forest region, where Germans are prescribed time off from work to soak in mineral spas and to "power hike" in the mountains. We're plunging head first into Sicily and the Black Forest on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

(note: Sept 21 is Armenian Independence Day) It's one of the newest nations in the world, and one of its oldest civilizations. And this week, Armenia is celebrating 15 years as an independent republic. We'll find out why it's a classic "back door" destination, on the next edition of Travel with Rick Steves. Rick's guest is Matthew Karanian (kah-RAIN-ee-ann), an American drawn to the land of his grandparents, who has co-authored a definitive guidebook to Armenia and the neighboring disputed land of Karabagh (CAR-ah-bock). We'll learn how Armenia provides a unique link to the ancient world, with some of the earliest Christian churches, a distinct language from its Indo-European neighbors, eco-tourism in its untouched countryside, and a society that has persisted for three thousand years, despite many adversaries. We're getting acquainted with Armenia...on the next Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

You probably already know that the flamenco, Sunday evening bullfights, tapas, and sangria are some of the flavors of Spain. Now, as part of the European Union, Spain is a re-energized democracy that might also provide us examples for coping with the threats of terrorism. Carlos Galvin (gal-VEEN), a travel specialist from Madrid, joins Rick this week to describe today's scene in his homeland, and to take listener calls about visiting Spain. Also, we'll learn how the Spanish tradition of taking a midday nap -- the siesta -- has been helping Spaniards beat stress for centuries...and how its days may be numbered in modern, urban culture. Julio Astor (WHO-lee-oh AS-tor) of the Spanish Tourism Board joins Rick to explain the role of "the siesta." Discover the pleasures of Spain and its distinctive culture, on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.