Rick Steves

If I could recommend just one guidebook or resource to people planning a trip to Europe, I'd recommend Rick Steves. Early on in my European research I remembered hearing about him from my brother, who used to watch his PBS shows. A quick Youtube search revealed a wealth of videos on the Rick Steves Youtube channel, and from the first episode, I was hooked. Below is one of my favorites, the episode that convinced me I had to visit Munich!

Steves has an earnest optimism which borders on dorky*, but he also has an incredibly sophisticated outlook on travel. Don't let his very American accent and clothing fool you - Steves knows his stuff. His travel philosophy is to avoid tourist traps and find ways to connect with locals and their culture. His guidebooks, including the excellent starter guide "Europe Through the Back Door," are aimed at helping American travelers to get to know the real Europe. Each book has a conversational and user-friendly tone, while still providing background on the history and culture of the country. He's a great communicator as well as a great source of knowledge. Rick Steves is to European travel what Roger Ebert was to movies - a bridge between ordinary people and an extraordinary, sophisticated experience. If there is any weakness in Steves' guidebooks it's that they are not as exhaustive as other guidebooks. He picks and chooses what he believes to be the best attractions, hotels and restaurants based on years of annual research, and writes more about fewer things. If you're looking for a guidebook with everything in it, he's not your man. But then, if you're looking for everything, that's what the internet is for, isn't it?

Steves also views travel as a political and socially conscious act, which led to him producing a recent travel special on Iran. In the intro to his Iran special he says he's there to "learn, understand, and make some friends." Steves seems able to make friends anywhere, precisely because he keeps an open mind and reaches out across cultures. The Iran video educated me quite a bit about the culture, and though I already had a pretty open mind, it opened my mind further. This video offers a window into the lives of regular people who seem genuinely happy to interact with an American and depicts places of great beauty and historical interest. For me, it actually sparked an interest in visiting Iran someday! Watch for yourself here:

In addition to his interest in socially conscious travel, Steves is also an advocate for legalized marijuana, as well as a philanthropist. Among other things, he donated money to create transitional housing for the homeless in his home state of Washington. Steves is an all-around good guy, the kind of person whose business you feel happy to support.

And Steves is very much a businessman. Steves' company sells its own luggage and travel accessories as well as the travel guidebooks and Rick Steves tours. Last year I bought one of his specially designed travel bags in the first flush of my Europe enthusiasm, when I thought I'd be leaving this year. Steves believes in packing very light, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of fitting 3-4 weeks of clothing and necessities into Steves' compact carry-on bag. I've never been a light packer, but I am convinced after reading the guidebooks and watching his videos that I will be very glad to have only a carry-on climbing up the hilly Parisian streets, or getting on and off trains between European cities, not to mention avoiding spending time at a baggage claim.

As mentioned, Steves also runs tours. While his tours sound like a lot of fun, for several reasons Lee and I will be going it alone. For one - we have some very specific destinations in mind already. Secondly, though Steves' tours seem reasonable, I still think we can go cheaper on our own. Finally, though I've heard some reports from vegetarians faring alright on his tours, I'm not sure how vegans would do. I'd much rather plan my own meals and take advantage of some of the great veg/vegan restaurants that are out there. Using Steves' guidebooks as one of our travel tools I am sure Lee and I will be able to plan out an itinerary which will suit us just as well, but for those who don't have a lot of time to spend planning or who are traveling solo, they seem like a good time.

If I've piqued your interest in Rick Steves, or if you just want to watch some great free programming about European countries/travel be sure to check out the many videos on Youtube and/or check out his site (with a travel forum, store and information about tours) and his blog, where he documents his research trips and other thoughts about Europe:
http://www.ricksteves.com/
http://blog.ricksteves.com/

I also strongly recommend buying "Europe Through the Back Door" or any of his travel guides. The wealth of information they provide in a very readable format is worth paying for, even in this age of endless free information. I look forward to devouring them the way I do a good novel, and his tips are definitely going to save me money, time and headaches as I head into the more serious planning phase at the start of next year.

*Of course I admire this greatly, being a dorky, earnest person myself.

Art in Europe: Why Do We All Want to See the Mona Lisa?

The most popular woman in the world. A crowd viewing the Mona Lisa. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Lee pointed me to an article today about overcrowding at the Louvre and other European museums. According to the article, museums across Europe are feeling the strain from too many visitors, and in some cases they are worried that artworks will be damaged.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/29/arts/design/european-museums-straining-under-weight-of-popularity.html?_r=0

Images of visitors clamoring to get their selfie with (or even just their shot of) "The Mona Lisa" seem ridiculous from a distance. Why would you subject yourself to such a crush simply to get a bad photo of a painting that is endlessly reproduced? I mean, here it is again:

"The Mona Lisa" isn't a painting; it's the painting.

It's a great picture, no doubt. I am not one of those, like my husband, who feels it is overrated. While I do prefer much of Da Vinci's other work, I am not immune to the mysterious smile and knowing eyes, the hazy sfumato effect, and the cultural weight which comes with being a classic. In a way, "The Mona Lisa" is so classic, that it has become a sort of cultural template for "painting" from which all other paintings depart. 

Therefore, while at first glance the museum crowds seemed ridiculous, I decided to ask myself a few questions:

1. When I go to Paris, will I want to see "The Mona Lisa"? - Yes. 

The answer came to me, even as I tried to be cooler than that, the way I wish I was too cool to want to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

2. If I find myself in front of "The Mona Lisa" will I then want to take a picture of it? - Probably. 

Even though I realize that it will be a bad picture which will probably end up being deleted, and I'd do better to take pictures of the straining crowds, since they will be more representative of my actual experience, I have a feeling that a weird groupthink may take over in the moment and I will feel compelled to do what it is that you do when you're at the Louvre.

 This instinct to "collect" experiences is strong in most people. People add the seven wonders of the world to their bucket lists even if they have no idea why they became wonders. People who couldn't care less about Egyptian history nevertheless take a photo by the Great Pyramid. People crowd into the White House, Congress, and Jefferson's home at Monticello who couldn't tell you accurately what the Bill of Rights consists of. (For this last, perhaps, they are blameless, since I doubt some of our Congressional representatives could do any better.) At any rate, people collect, and I wonder how many of the people in these "Mona Lisa" queues would disappear if only the art lovers, the Da Vinci lovers, and the people who know what "sfumato" means remained. It's hard to say, however, even though I care about Da Vinci and art, whether I will visit "The Mona Lisa" for the right reasons either. I can see perfectly well that I won't be able to get any kind of decent view of the painting at the Louvre. I can see that there's no chance of quietly contemplating the work. For that, I'd do better to buy a poster and hang it on my wall. So even though I care about art, are my motives for visiting any better? I will be there just to share the same air as the famous painted lady. I'll be there to say that I was there.

There's not necessarily anything wrong with collecting experiences, either. In a sense these collections of experiences add up to a collective sense of belonging to the human race. By appreciating "The Mona Lisa", taking a picture at the Great Pyramid, visiting the White House or Monticello, we reconfirm with each other our values - what we consider beautiful, worth protecting, significant. The crowds to see "The Mona Lisa" also, doubtless, help to fund the preservation of countless lesser-known art masterpieces which may then be protected for years to come. Moreover, it is possible to take things too far the other direction and refuse to see even places which might be very enjoyable for fear of being too conventional. I had an ex-boyfriend, for example, who would purposely travel to the most obscure places possible, simply for the pleasure of being original. 

Still it is funny how we have settled upon this one great portrait and these few great museums as the pilgrimages to make. Perhaps if we could spread out more - give our love to more diverse works of art, and take part of our time to explore some lesser-known locations - these European museums wouldn't be in such a jam. 

I will, then, see "The Mona Lisa," though I will try to resist the urge to take a picture. I will also ascend to the top of the Eiffel Tower - possibly even while wearing some sort of scarf and fancying myself very Parisian. But I will also make a point to visit some lesser-known art treasures.

One I have my eye on is the Gustave Moreau Museum. http://www.musee-moreau.fr/ Moreau is a Symbolist painter I have long admired, and a visit to his house/museum is included with the Paris Museum Pass. Below is a video, featuring, strangely enough, of one of my favorite screenwriters, Julie Delpy,  http://jensroadtoeurope.blogspot.kr/2014/07/movies-about-or-around-europe-2-days-in.html, giving a little tour of the museum. The light in the video is not so great, so I'll also include an image below the video. 

Oedipus and the Sphinx, Gustave Moreau

Finally, I'd like to include one more from Da Vinci, also in the Louvre. I hope that the crowd around this painting is not so intense, and that I might, after all, get a chance to gaze deep into a work by Da Vinci in person. 

The Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo Da Vinci

How about you? Would you want to see "The Mona Lisa"? Does an attraction's popularity increase or decrease your desire to see it? Share in the comments. 

Eco-Europe - Green Grocery Stores!

I remember watching the movie "Drive" at the movie theater in Busan, South Korea, not so much because of anything having to do with the quality of the movie (I seem to recall it being cool, yet forgettable) but because of one scene where Ryan Gosling enters a grocery store. I audibly gasped, and I think my husband Lee may have, too, at the huge selection of canned beans and other Western food items which can be difficult and/or impossible to find over here. I also once loudly cried out "Oh my god!" in the foreign food section of the Shinsegae Department Store, due to my first-ever pinto bean sighting in Korea. The woman shopping next to me looked over to see what I was gaping at, then, realizing that I was freaking out over canned goods, quickly backed away in fear.

Sorry, Ryan, I'm salivating over the food, not you... 

In my one trip home to America since coming here in September of 2009, I was similarly obsessed with the grocery stores both in my home state of Wisconsin, and especially in my adopted hometown and vegan mecca, Portland, Oregon. I love food, and as a (these days 95%) vegan, I love vegan, organic, fresh, healthy and environmentally sound food, whenever I can get it, which these days isn't as often as I'd like. European cities, however, are promising to be just as full of majestic grocery stores as they are of majestic art museums and cathedrals, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to visiting them almost as much. Put "The Mona Lisa" side by side with a good vegan cheese or some fresh asparagus and it'll be a steep competition. That said, here are just a few of the reasons I'm looking forward to visiting Europe's supermarkets.

1. Veganz - My husband Lee http://www.leegumienny.com/  was doing some research about eating in Germany when he came across an article describing  Veganz, billed as the first vegan supermarket chain in Europe. Though vegan supermarkets are not new to me - Long Live Food Fight! -  http://www.foodfightgrocery.com/, Veganz seems to be catching on in bigger cities across Europe, and has stores in Berlin, Munich and Vienna - all cities on the potential agenda. Here is a link to Veganz' web-site (in German) http://www.veganz.de/, and here is a pretty exciting article about the chain's founding and planned expansion in English. http://www.thelocal.de/20140605/jan-bredeck-boss-of-worlds-first-vegan-supermarket-veganz

2. Un Monde Vegan - France has its own vegan grocery, Un Monde Vegan, in Paris. http://www.unmondevegan.com/index.cfm Though it looks to be on less grand of a scale than its German cousin, I'm very excited to know that I'll be able to amp up my Parisian picnics with some vegan meats. I hope to stay in an airbnb apartment while in Paris, so going to this store early will probably also help Lee and I save on food costs during our trip. Here's a link to a video showing you around the store (albeit in French) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GeP4wrb2D4

3. Original Unverpackt - Another grocery store I'm eager to visit is Original Unverpackt - a packaging-free store which is opening this summer in  Berlin. I've often shopped at food co-ops in the Pacific Northwest which encouraged patrons to use the bulk bins, but this store is all package-free, all the time. As much as I like my packaged tofu meats and vegan cheeses, I also love this eco-friendly concept (and fresh produce). 

The founders of the store also look like pretty groovy girls.

4. Intermarche - Inglourious Fruits and Vegetables - Et finalement, a great initiative at a French supermarket chain, to reduce food waste by selling so-called "ugly" fruits and vegetables at a lower cost. Perfectly good produce for less money? Sign me up! 

I doubt this will be the last post I make about the food goodness and eco-friendliness I'm looking forward to in Europe, but here concludes my first report. Thankfully, Ryan Gosling seems to have gotten over my lack of proper appreciation for his movie.

For those of you already in Europe, Bon Appetit! And please leave comments if you've been to these stores yourself, or if there are any other European food wonders you think I should check out!