Program 726: Orkney Vikings; Favorite American Cities; Chopin's Piano

Consider your options for encountering the thousand-year-old culture of the Vikings on a visit to Scotland's Orkney Islands. Then listen in as a frequent domestic traveler explains why he believes that visiting all 50 states is a worthy endeavor for all Americans — not merely for fun but as a powerful way to overcome political division. And hear about Frédéric Chopin's struggles with a clunky piano on a Spanish island, where he still managed to compose pieces that changed how the world listens to music.

• Kinlay Francis, tour guide from Orkney, Scotland  
• Daniel Seddiqui, author of "Piecing Together America" (self-published)  
• Paul Kildea, author of "Chopin's Piano" (W.W. Norton)

• Kinlay Francis and his wife operate Orkney Uncovered to provide custom tours in the Orkney archipelago.
• Rick revisits a Viking historical site on the Scottish island of Iona, and writes about the Viking history of York, England.   
• Daniel Seddiqui writes about the local crafts and foods he found in 50 cities across the United States in "Piecing Together America."  
• Paul Kildea is the author of "Chopin's Piano: In Search of the Instrument That Transformed Music."
• Paul Kildea plays the same piano manufactured by Pleyel that Chopin himself once played, at Hatchlands Park in Surrey, England.  He's featured at the close of this week's program, and on the BBC Radio 4 discussion program "Start the Week" from July 2018.  Paul plays Chopin's Prelude No. 13, starting at 38:21 into the BBC podcast.
• Salons of Chopin piano concerts are held nightly at the Chopin Boutique Bed and Breakfast in Warsaw.