Hi from Rick: New TV Shows and a New Travel Entrepreneur Debut
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| With the bulls on their way, runners' emotions range from bravado to downright panic. |
Dear Traveler,
I normally don't enjoy drunken brawls. But Pamplona's festival of San Fermin (a.k.a. the Running of the Bulls) is worth a few stains and bruises. With cameras rolling, we caught it all: the late-night roar of revelers jamming the streets; the early-dawn whir and crunch of street cleaning vehicles brushing up trails of broken glass; the heart-racing anticipation of crowds jamming the fences, awaiting the gunshot that sets the bulls running; and then of course the fast-moving thunder of the bulls and runners. As the hooves clattered on those cobbles, we captured a heady mix of bravado and desperate panic — from bulls and humans alike.
The next day, we seemed to be an entire planet away: out on the vast and silent plains of Spain, walking beside calloused but serene pilgrims on their spiritual trek to Santiago de Compostela. The vivid mix of people, culture, rituals, rewards, — and, in the case of Pamplona, testosterone — is what makes every episode of our latest TV series this traveler's delight.
This month, public television stations across the USA will debut a dozen new Rick Steves' Europe TV shows. First up is our one-hour Andalucía special, followed by 11 new half-hour episodes taking you from the Baltics to Bergen to Basque Country to Bosnia-Herzegovina and beyond. This month's Travel News fills you in on all the details.
If you act quickly, you can hop aboard another travel opportunity: helping to shape my radio interview with author Bill Bryson. We'll be recording this coming Monday — see how your email or phone call can get on the air!
And on a separate note, related only because he's my son, Andy Steves has started his own tour company. "Weekend Student Adventures" will offer exactly that to American students studying abroad in Europe. Andy is in Europe this fall setting it all up and will guide his first three-day student weekend adventures in Prague, Rome, Paris, and London this November. This month's Travel News gives you a fun peek into a young entrepreneur's vision.
It's an exciting month for travel dreaming. Climb aboard and join us!
Happy travels,
Rick