A visit to the Nordic countries is a visit to Europe's most content corner, and for good reason. The head of UC Berkeley's Nordic Center explains what Americans can learn from the region's pragmatic approach to prosperity, sustainability, and security. And tour guides from Slovenia offer a tantalizing taste of the comfort foods you can savor in their country, where the culinary influences of neighboring lands add variety to the menu.

• Robert Strand, director of the Nordic Center and the Center for Responsible Business at the University of California, Berkeley
• Slovenia-based tour guides Tina Hiti and Marijan Krišković

• Robert Strand is the director of the Nordic Center at the University of California at Berkeley, and heads the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas Business School at UC Berkeley.
• Robert's book "Nordic Capitalism" is available digitally for free through Cambridge University Press.
• Tina Hiti's website includes blog entries for making natural fruit beverages. She's also featured among the tour guide profiles on the Rick Steves website.
• The Open Kitchen food market in Ljubljana is held on Fridays from mid-March to October.
• Rick's senior content manager Cameron Hewitt blogs about strolling the streets of Ljubljana in 2016 with Marijan and another local tour guide.