Program 378: Greek Islands; European Coffee Culture; European Media

There are so many islands in Greece, it can be difficult to choose which one to visit first. On the next Travel with Rick Steves, we'll explore a few of your options for enjoying the climate and culture of Greece, with or without cruise ship crowds.

We'll also compare how the media operate in Britain and Germany with what you get in the United States.

And Rick savors European coffee culture, where a coffee break is a relaxing ritual in an atmospheric cafe.

Take time to enjoy the world each week, on Travel with Rick Steves.

• Anastasia Gaitanou, tour guide based in Thessaloniki, Greece
• David Willett, tour guide to Greece, based in Australia
• Gene Openshaw, co-author of Rick Steves Europe 101
• Susie Millar, Belfast-based tour guide and contributor to BBC news in Northern Ireland
• Holger Zimmer, Berlin-based tour guide and public radio producer for Radio EINS in Berlin

• Rick offers some basic tips for planning a visit to the Greek Islands.
• The Municipality of Mykonos hosts is own website.
• Santorini is known to be the most-visited of the Greek islands.
• Wikipedia maps the various island groupings in Greece.
• A list of coffee houses in the old city of Vienna.
• In Britain, the Financial Times reports their circulation is at an all-time high, thanks in part to growth in the American market.
• Rupert Murdoch's British tabloid The Sun features a topless woman on page 3 of each issue. Here is information about it on Wikipedia.
• Tagesschau is a popular nightly TV newscast on channel one in Berlin. 
• Susie Millar talked with BBC Belfast about her great-grandfather's role in helping to build the notorious steamship Titanic.

• Family is planning to spend a week in an apartment on Paros. "How might we best learn Greek culture, food, and history there? I am also planning to visit Mykonos and Santorini for two nights each." (Ronald in Broad Brook, Connecticut)
• "I planned to stop in Naxos for a few days but stayed for eight!  My in-town pensione was a short walk to a beach. The harbor was lively. Interesting history and beautiful views. Overall, the prices were great." (Valerie in Kildeer, Illinois)
• Caller is going on a cruise that stops in Santorini, Mykonos and Corfu. "Should I take the cruise ship's excursion or venture on my own?" (Debbie in Wyckoff, New Jersey)
• In Extra: "As a foreign language teacher in the United States and long-time visitor to Sweden, one of the things which has always impressed me about Swedish TV is broadcasting movies and events in the original language with Swedish subtitles. It's a great way to learn Swedish, and keep up with your favorite US programs!" (Frank in New Port Richey, Florida)

• St. Germain, "What You Think About," Tourist / Blue Note
• Parasksévas Grekis, "Zorba's Dance (Horos tou Zorba)," Greece/Grece-Mikis Theodorakis / Mikis Theodorakis
• Vicky Moscholiou, "O Cafes," Music from the Wine Lands (collection) / Putumayo
• Baltimore Consort, "Les Buffons," The Renaissance Album (collection) / Windham Hill
• Dimitris Kokotas, "S'Ena Tilefonima," 1000% Epitihies (collection) / BMG Greece  
• * Yagos Kazantus, "Sorocos," Buddha-Bar vol 3 by Ravin (collection) / George V Records (France)
• Michel Bismut, "Princesse," Les musiques du Sud (compilation) / Al Sur (France)
• Instrumental intro to Nektarios Sfirakis, "Mou To' Pane," 1000% Epitihies (collection) / BMG Greece - Sony Distribution
• Zach Brock and the Coffee Achievers, "The Coffee Achiever," Zach Brock and the Coffee Achievers / Secret Fort
• Boston Pops, Arthur Fiedler, cond., "Turkish March (1990 remaster)," Stars and Strips Forever / RCA Red Seal
• Symphony Nova Scotia, Howard Cable, cond., "Fancy Free," Opportunity Knocks / CBC Records
• Ralph Rousseau, Matangi String Quartet, "La vie en rose,”"Chansons d'amour / Challenge Classics
• Academy of Ancient Music, conducted by Christopher Hogwood, featuring Emma Kirkby, soprano, "Ei! Wie Schmeckt der Coffee Süsse (from the 'Coffee Cantata' by J S Bach)," Bach: Cantata BWV 211 / L’Oiseau-Lyre
• * Bela Fleck, "Two Part Invention, No. 13 (J. S. Bach)," Perpetual Motion / Sony Classical
• Amampondo, "Wandenza," The Big Bang (collection) / Ellipsis Arts
• Thievery Corporation, "Barrio Alto," ESL Soundtracks - Modular Systems (collection) / Eighteenth Street Lounge Music
• Jean-Luc Ponty, "In the Fast Lane," The Very Best of Jean-Luc Ponty / Columbia-Legacy
• Ann and Nancy Wilson, "My Thing Is My Own,"  The Renaissance Album (collection) / Windham Hill
• Carbon/Silicon, "The News," Good Morning Here's the News EP / self-released (2007)

• Early in segment C, the guests discuss pressures on media producers to appeal to short attention spans in how they present and package news, and how news reporting has adopted more entertainment values in the US than in parts of Europe.
• At 45:45, Susie describes the gamut of newspapers in Britain, "from the Sun to the Financial Times." She adds the Sun is discussing changing the topless models it features each day on page 3 to something a bit less lewd.
• At 53:50, Holger says it costs German residents around €20 a month for a broadcast license, which helps to fund many broadcasters. At 54:10, Susie adds that UK residents pay an annual broadcast license fee of around £200, which helps the BBC to now offer four television channels. Holger explains at 54:27 that the licensing requirements "just changed in Germany," so that each household is required to pay the fee, regardless of whether or not they own a television set or computer. He then notes there are "five or six" publicly-funded radio stations in Berlin. Susie points out at 57:05 that Britain is also exploring how to charge the annual broadcast fee its citizens pay, regardless of the equipment they've purchased, as a response to new digital methods of program distribution. 
• Rick tells Susie at 56:10 that he has "just enjoyed watching" videos of two British television productions, "Planet Earth" and "Rome."