Program 379: Biking in Amsterdam; How Paris Became Paris; Open Phones: Paris

While some cities are just getting their plans together to encourage cycling across town, Amsterdam has long been a leader in replacing car travel with a bicycle. On the next Travel with Rick Steves, we'll find out how easy it is to cycle almost anywhere in The Netherlands.

We'll also learn how Paris was a leader in designing attractive plazas and parks that anyone can enjoy like an outdoor living room, whether you live there, or are just planning a visit.

We'll help you make Amsterdam and Paris feel like home, on this week's Travel with Rick Steves.

• Nica Johnson, tour guide based in Amsterdam
• Joan DeJean, author of "How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City"  (Bloomsbury)

• Safety tips for visitors who want to cycle in Amsterdam.
• Information about the popularity of cycling in the Netherlands, with maps of designated routes.
• A guide to Vondelpark in Amsterdam.  
• Publisher's webpage for Joan deJean's book "How Paris Became Paris."
• Participants on Trip Advisor discuss their favorite aspects of the Place des Vosges in Paris.
• Fat Tire offers English-language bike tours of Paris, Barcelona, Berlin and London.
• Torre Argentina is a no-kill cat shelter that caller Lana mentions in Rome. 
• A popular guide to the cemeteries of Paris is called "Permanent Parisians."
• The Paris Museum Pass allows you to jump ahead of many of the long lines at popular sites. 

• Caller asks for a suggested path in Amsterdam for a cyclist unaccustomed to traffic.   (Yvonne in Howell, Michigan)
• "I ride my bike around New York, where there are written and unwritten rules about biking.  Are there unwritten, cultural rules for biking around Amsterdam?  Or, things which aren't rules necessarily, but are considered polite, that American cyclists might not be aware of?"  (Allie in New York City)
• "Is Place des Vosges the most architecturally important public square in Europe, being the first of its kind? Even though Place des Vosges isn't as large or as grand as Paris' other public spaces, it left a lasting impression on me last April when I visited it for the first time.  You get a sense of what Parisians must have felt in the 1600s when you come from narrow Marais streets into the square.  Some of Paris' 19th century spaces feel over-scaled, but Place des Vosges feels like an elegant public living room."  (Barrett in Dallas, Texas)
• "We love the public spaces of Paris!  One of our must-do activities on every visit is to get two lovely scoops of Berthillon ice cream in a bowl, then walk over to Quai de Orleans and down the steep, narrow, cast-iron stairs to the Seine. We find a bench, savor our ice cream, watch the river traffic, and gaze at the Left Bank. We might hear a siren or bells or someone playing the saxophone. It's a perfect Paris moment!"  (Lisa in Puyallup, Washington)
• Caller is taking a nine-year old to Paris.  Looking for ideas to make things fun for kids in Paris.  (Rory in Frisco, Colorado)
• Taking 13 year old niece to Paris. Looking for fun things for teens/older kids to enjoy the city.  "I'd like to have her come home with a deeper feeling of Paris and Parisian culture than an 'amusement park ride' to the top of the Eiffel Tower."  (Barbara in Mill Valley, California)
• Caller enjoys photographing feral cats in Paris cemeteries. "They are part of the vibrant culture that Parisians impart to their cemeteries." Caller describes how local people care for the outdoor cats in Paris.  (Lana in Boca Raton, Florida)
• Ex-nun tries to see Versailles, but due to crowds and confusion, never makes it inside!  " But we did have fun exploring the gardens on their 2 mph golf cart!"  Rick recommends using the Paris Museum pass next time to not have to wait in line.  (Katy in Connor, California)
• Been to Paris many times, acts as a tour guide for friends and family who have never been. Looking for tips for Paris first timers.   (Sonja in Milton, Ontario)

• Billy May and Les Baxter, “The Poor People of Paris,” Ultra-Lounge:  A Bachelor in Paris (collection) / Capitol
• Symphony Nova Scotia, Howard Cable, cond.,"Scherzo for Stephen for orchestra," Opportunity Knocks / CBC Records
• John Cale, ‘Bicycle,” Hobo Sapiens / Or Music
• Chet Atkins, "Wheels," Travelin' /  RLG-Legacy
• Engelbert Humperdinck, "Les Bicyclettes des Belsize," 16 Most Requested Songs / Epic-Legacy
• * Joris Teepe, “Going Dutch,” Going Dutch / Twinz Records
• Felix Barcellini, "Quel Temps Fait-Il A Paris  (soundtrack from the Jacques Tati film 'Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot')," Mon Oncle: Music from the Films of Jacques Tati / Phillips-PolyGram (France)
• Ralph Rousseau, "Chaconne La Buisson," Chansons d’amour / Challenge Classics
• Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood, conductor, "'Menuet' from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067 (J. S. Bach)," Editions de L'Oiseau-Lyre:  The Original Sound (sampler) / L'Oiseau-Lyre
• Colin Tilney, "Rondeau," Fanfarinette:  Music for the French Harpsichord / CBC Records
• Tony Murena, “Indifference,”  Paris Musette (collection) / Soldore (France)
• Edith Piaf, "Paris," Hymne a l’amour / EMI France
• * Ralph Rousseau, Matangi String Quartet, and Hein Van de Geyn, “Sur le ciel de Paris,” Chansons d’amour / Challenge Classics
• Frankie Carle, "Under the Bridges of Paris," The Very Best of Frankie Carle / Master Classics
• Michel Legrand, “I Love Paris,”   Jazz in Paris - Paris  Jazz Piano / SSC
• Maurice Alexander, "Brin d'Amour," Paris By Night (collection) / EMI
• Cy Coleman, "Parisian Women," A Bachelor in Paris: Ultra Lounge 10  (collection) / Capitol
• Lucienne Delyle, "Sur les Quais du Vieux Paris," Paris by Night (collection) / EMI Records
• Django Reinhardt, "Echoes of France ('Le Marseilleise')," L'essentiel de Django Reinhardt - Les 100 classiques immanquables / Cristal Records

*Music used during the internal breaks between segments

• In the segment A introduction, Rick refers to the "current civilizing trend" of making bicycling more popular in many European cities.  At 7:58, Rick notes that the Amsterdam government has policies that discourage automobile ownership in favor of cycling.
• At 10:04, Rick notes that Nica was also on the show in August.
• Nica notes at 11:10 that mopeds can share the bike paths outside cities.
• Rick raises the issue of helmets at 13:07.  Nica says only children will wear them in the Netherlands.   They discuss the high level of bike theft in Amsterdam at 13:57.
• Nica says at 14:39 that you can carry a fold-up bike on a train in The Netherlands for no extra charge, but that a regular bike ticket on the train often costs more than the passenger ticket.
• Rick notes at 21:20 and 27:20 that Joan DeJean has written "nine books so far" on French history and culture.
• Rick talks at 33:19 about public activities along the Seine River, including the summertime "Paris Plage."  Joan adds that such activities have gone on there for centuries.
• Rick mentions at 42:12 that Paris accommodates roller blading on the streets of the city on Sunday afternoons.