Program 286a: Mother's Day: Sweet Home Croatia; An American Mother in Paris

Sometimes, you really can go back. On this week's Travel with Rick Steves, Jennifer Wilson tells us what it was like to relocate her family to the same mountain village in Croatia that her great-grandparents emigrated from. An American who married a Frenchman explains what it's like raising her child in Paris. Friends from Sicily explain the center stage role their mammas play throughout their lives. And Rick shares how his own mother influenced him to become a traveler.

Do a little traveling for Mother's Day, on the next Travel with Rick Steves. 

This is a re-edit of a program that first aired May 12, 2012. The program also won the Lowell Thomas Award gold prize for Audio in 2013, from the annual competition of the Society of American Travel Writers.

• Jennifer Wilson, author of “Running Away to Home” (St. Martin’s Press)
• Mary Bouron, Paris-based mother and tour guide
• Feature includes Alfio DiMauro and Tommaso Pante, tour guides based in Sicily
• Closing essay from Travel with Rick Steves producer Sarah McCormic

• Rick included the tribute to his mother June Steves that he read for this week's program in his blog in January 2012.
• Tommaso Pante's website.  Click on the English flag to find the link to "Mamma Pina's Recipes," where Tommaso has listed several of his mother's Sicilian family favorites.
• Mary Bouron's blog is called "How To Marry A Frenchman," and includes a link to her Paris tours called "Walk Like a Parisian."

• Loituma, "My Kantele," Nordic Roots (collection) / NorthSide Records
• Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Gavin Sutherland, "Suite navarraise - Le vert galant' (Paul Lewis, composer)," English String Miniatures, vol. 5 (collection) / Naxos
• Leif Ove Andsnes, "Suite No. 1 'Nordland images' for piano, Op. 5 No. 4, 'Towards the mountains of my forefathers' (David Monrad Johansen, composer)," A Portrait / EMI Classics
• Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, "Cassation in G, K-63 (Mozart)," The Key to the Classics:  Mozart (collection) / Angel
• Christopher Parkening, "Gymnopedie No. 1 (Satie)," The Great Recordings / EMI Classics
• Warsaw Philharmonic, Kazimierz Kod., cond., "Symphony No. 3,  Opus 36, 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs,' (Henryk Górecki)," Henryk Górecki - Symphony No. 3 / Philips Classics - Eloquence
• The St. Olaf Choir, "Sommersalm (The Earth Adorned) (arr. Åhlén)," Reflections Of Norway / St. Olaf Records
• Izumi Tateno, piano, "'May's Sun Smiles' from 'Sun and Clouds, 12 Pieces for piano, op. 102' (Selim Palmgren)," The Nordic Experience (collection) / Warner Classics
• Kocani Orkestar with Señor Coconut, "Usti Usti Baba (Altiplano mix),"  Electric Gypsyland (collection) /  Six Degrees
• * Café Antarsia Ensemble, "Rakija Waltz," Songs of the Table / Innova
• Milan Ilic Micko, "Brankova Setnja," Gipsy Music Collection, vol. 1 / Ton 4 Records
• Munkás?rség Központi Férfikara, Magyar Néphadsereg Zenei Szakközépiskolájának Fúvószenekara, "On the Edge of the Woods," The Best of Communism:  Revolutionary Songs (collection) / Gong (Hungary)
• Klapa Nostalgija, "Mila Mi Je Govorila Majka," Dalmatinske Pjesma Dinka Fia / Best Music   (Croatia)
• Anna Maria Gheltrito, Gianfranco Bittino, "Cara mamma," Viva La Mamma  (vari artisti) / Blue Music  (Italy)
• Jan Corduwener and his Orch, with Willy Alberti, "Mamma," Vintage Tenors No. 1 - EPs Collectors / Vintage  (1958)
• * Massimo Faraò Trio, "Viva La Mamma," Viva La Mamma (vari artisti) / Blue Music  (Italy)
• Raft, "Yaka Danse," Madagascar / Universal
• Charles Aznavour, "J'aime Paris au Moi du Mai," Paris By Night (collection) / EMI
• Christine Brown, "Mary Had a Little Lamb,"  Childhood / Key Image Music
• Mylene Farmer, "Sans Contrafaçon (Boy Remix)," Dance Remixes / Polygram
• Los Reyes del K.O., "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," Coll Vs. Costa / Gaztelupeko Hotsak S.L
• Emile Pandolfi,  "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," What a Wonderful World / Magic Music
• Tony Bennett,  "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," The Essential Tony Bennett / Sony
• Christopher Parkening, "Afro-Cuban Lullaby," The Great Recordings / EMI Classics

• In the Billboard and open to segment A, Rick says that today's topics are a "Mother's Day edition" of Travel with Rick Steves. 
• In Rick's Mother's Day tribute essay at the open to segment A, he notes that his mother passed away "a few days after Christmas," and later gives the date as Dec. 29, 2011.  Rick also mentions in the open that this episode of Travel with Rick Steves won a Lowell Thomas award in 2013, and notes that this is a re-broadcast from two years earlier, timed to re-air for Mother's Day.
• In segment A, at 13:42, Jennifer Wilson says her family decided to move to Croatia in late 2008, party due to the poor American economy at the time.  She again refers to the "dismal" state of the (2008) American economy at 22:30 in segment B.
• In segment C, at 41:26, Mary Bouron says her daughter Collette is 15 months old now, and at 45:08 notes she has been married to Gregoire for 4 years. 
• At 42:23, Mary explains that many Parisian couples plan to give birth in May, due to May and September deadlines for getting into the daycare system. 
• Mary describes, at 46:14, that paid maternity leave in France starts one month before one's due date, with two or three months off work after giving birth, depending on the benefits of a CDD or CDI employment contract.  She notes that fathers also get "a couple of weeks at home." 
• Mary responds to Rick's question at 49:03 that she believes that French proposals for dealing with "economic challenges in Europe" will retain their present maternity leave benefits. 
• Mary observes at 50:03 that few restaurants in Paris have high chairs or changing tables for young parents.