Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, August 2021
The night watchman signals “All’s well.” Photo by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli

The walled town of Rothenburg, midway between Frankfurt and Munich, offers the best look possible at medieval Germany. And in this theme park of a town, the best ride is the night watchman’s town walk. Each night during the tourist season, with his eyebrows frozen in a raised position, the night watchman listens to the clock tower clang nine times. Then he winks, picks up his hellebarde (long-poled ax), and lights his lantern. Welcoming the English-speaking group gathered in 15th-...

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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, August 2021
Coffeeshops in Amsterdam sell marijuana. Photo by Rick Steves

Amsterdam is a laboratory of progressive living, bottled inside Europe’s finest 17th-century city. Like Venice, this city is a patchwork quilt of elegant architecture and canal-bordered islands anchored upon millions of wooden pilings. But unlike its dwelling-in-the-past, canal-filled cousin, Amsterdam sees itself as a city of the future, built on good living, cozy cafés, great art, street-corner jazz ... and a persistent spirit of live-and-let-live.

During its Golden Age in the...

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Rick Steves' Europe
This article appears in our Print Edition, August 2021 -- Page 24
Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey — London. Photo by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe an occasional dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from London — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

Wearing a red robe and a warm smile, Eddie works as a verger at London’s Westminster Abbey. As a church official, he keeps order in this space, which is both very...

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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, July 2021
A coppersmith in Montepulciano, Italy. Photo by Cameron Hewitt

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here are a few of my favorite European memories of artisans in action — reminders of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

When you’ve traveled in Europe, you see how traditional, local businesses are making way for cookie-cutter chains and synthetic conformity. In historic city centers, as rents go up, longtime residents,...

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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, July 2021
Andalucía celebrates life with soul and with passion. Photo by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from the south of Spain — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

In Spain’s Andalucía region, revelry and religiosity go hand in hand. The same passion and energy dedicated to partying is put into long, solemn religious processions that clog the narrow streets of...

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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, July 2021
The heretic Giordano Bruno stands on the spot where he was burned. Photo by Cameron Hewitt

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from Rome — a reminder of the enchanting Italian ambiance that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

A statue of Giordano Bruno marks the center of Campo de’ Fiori — my favorite square in Rome. Five centuries ago, Bruno challenged the Roman Church and was burned at the stake right...

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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, July 2021
Stonehenge, a celestial calendar marking the seasons for 4,000 years. Photo by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here are a few of my favorite European memories from England — reminders of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

On my first trip to Dartmoor National Park, back when I was a student, word of the wonders lurking just a bit deeper into the moors tempted me away from my hostel in Gidleigh. I was told of an especially rewarding hike...

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Rick Steves' Europe
This article appears in our Print Edition, July 2021 -- Page 25
Village pubs provide fuel (and memories) for hikers. Photo by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe an occasional dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from small-town England — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

The Cotswolds are crisscrossed with hedgerows, strewn with storybook villages and sprinkled with sheep. Everything about them — the meadows, thatched...

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