Hi from Rick: Cultures Evolving Side-by-Side
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| Cultures evolving side-by-side... |
Dear Traveler,
I'm in Barcelona today, wrapping up three whirlwind weeks of research through Spain and Portugal.
A few days ago I was in the pilgrimage destination of Santiago de Compostela, in Spain's rainy northwest corner, where the old stones are mossy from the constant drizzle. This, along with the local folk dancing — a kind of River Dance meets flamenco complete with bagpipes and tambourines — reminds me of the local Gallego kinship with the Irish Celts due north of here.
Here in Santiago, a magical feeling pervades — a timeless, spiritual, celebration of life. I stand where the scallop shell chiseled into the cathedral's doorstep marks the end of the 500-mile pilgrimage from France. Triumphant trekkers of all ages and languages — walking sticks frayed on the ends, pant legs happily fringed, faces sunburned — pause to savor the sweet moment as they finally reach their goal. This is a personal inspiration for me, because the first guidebook ever written guided the ancestors of these pilgrims along this same well-worn path nearly a thousand years ago. Santiago was — and is today — a home to travelers from all over Europe, a place where cultures happily collide, borders melt away, and people embrace life.
In trendy, booming Barcelona, cultures also evolve side-by-side (Spanish, Catalan, Catholic, Humanist, European and Starbucks), sometimes pragmatically blending together, sometimes proudly not. With this issue of Travel News, I've included new guidebook updates, and shared my take on where Europe's "identity" is heading. Europe is becoming a place where people from "nations without states" — like the Catalans and the Gallegos I've been hanging out with — wave their flags and strut their dances without threatening anyone. Whether worshipping God in Santiago or worshipping the sun on the Costa del Sol, Europeans feel equally at home with today's concept of "up with cultures, down with borders."
I've met a lot of Americans over here. No one seems to be fretting over the dollar or politics or security hassles. It's a stress-free zone where travelers are focusing on pure good living: tapas, Picasso, a new pope, and even the occasional dose of Starbucks (only in tastefully smaller portions over here).
In the spirit of stressless travel, our Travel Store is offering choices of free books and maps this month (provided you also spend some money, of course), so you can tailor your freebies to fit your destination. Our rail experts can tailor your railpass to fit even the quirkiest itinerary. And our tour program has experts standing by to introduce you to our favorite flavors of Europe. All that and this month's Travel News is just a click or two away.
I'm heading off to Rome in a couple of days to continue my research pilgrimage. Maybe I'll see you there. Adiós, ciao, and happy travels…
Rick