Program 367a: Driving in Europe; Getting Around Ireland; Exploring Provence

Sometimes it's just worth the extra expense of renting a car on a European vacation, so you can explore the countryside on your own schedule.

On the next Travel with Rick Steves, we'll look at your options for exploring Ireland, and the villages of Provence [pro-VAHNCE] in the south of France.

A pair of professional tour bus drivers add their advice for what to expect, when motoring the highways of Europe.

And we'll pop into an Irish pub in Dublin for a wee sing-along.

• Dimi Rigas, professional tour bus driver based in Belgium
• Jean "Joe" Stulens, professional tour bus driver based in Belgium
• Susie Millar, tour guide based in Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Barry Moloney, tour guide based in Kinsale, Ireland
• Patrick Vidal, tour guide based in Brittany, France
• Virginie Moré, tour guide based in Lyon, France

• Rick's tips for driving in Europe.
• The website for the French motorways includes English-language instruction on its automatic toll payment system.
• Barry Moloney hosts historic walking tours of Kinsale, Ireland. He's collected many of the historical tales he tells in his book "Kinsale," and in his illustrated children's book "Kinsale Stories."
• Susie Millar conducts tours of Belfast, including sites associated with the doomed ship Titanic, which her great-grandfather helped to build.
• A guide to the motorways of Ireland includes its expansion plans.
• Virginie Moré specializes in small group tours of Lyon, Burgundy, and Brittany, and runs a guesthouse for rent in Burgundy.
• Tour guide Patrick Vidal lives in a 17th-century stone house he's been renovating in Brittany.
• The Luberon is an area of Provence which Patrick recommends visiting.
• Romani pilgrimages and processions are held in the working-class seaside town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
• The Camargue is a coastal area of Provence in the Rhone River delta where the Pont du Gard is located.
• The Rick Steves online guide to Provence.

• "Unless you are really in a hurry, stay off the German autobahns and use the smaller, slower, and safer side roads. You see more, have new experiences, and maybe meet some local people this way. If you must be on the autobahn, stay in the right lane, check carefully before pulling out to pass, pass quickly, and pull back into the right lane." (April in Roseville, California)
• "Is my regular driver's license valid in all European countries? Or is there other paperwork I need anywhere?" (e-mail from Nicole in Victoria, British Columbia)
• Caller is hesitant to learn to drive on the left in Ireland. "To drive or not to drive: that is the question. My husband and I plan to visit Ireland for two weeks. Can we easily connect to the main sites by public transit, or should we plan to drive in some areas?" (Erin in Duluth, Georgia)
• "We have traveled independently in six continents, usually driving. We are now in our seventies and want to tour Ireland. I've read that those over 75 years old can not rent a car in Ireland. Is this true? What transportation can you suggest for independent travelers?" (Mimmye in Memphis, Tennessee)
• "My fiancé proposed in Orvieto last year and we're planning to honeymoon in Ireland in October. We'll be spending a couple days in the Aran Islands. What are your transportation suggestions for getting there and for the days we'll be on the islands?" (Erin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
• Caller describes touring Provence "last spring," from Marseille to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, with day trips to the market in Aix and the ruins in Arles. Recommends shopping at Carrefour supermarkets for picnic supplies. (Richard in Rochester, New York)
• "I'm planning my first trip to Provence. Where is the best place to stay for driving day trips around the area, and to see fields of lavender in bloom, without the tourist crowds of late July?" (Sue in Girdwood, Alaska)
• "I am wondering about pros and cons of renting a car to explore Provence and La Cote d'Azure, versus using the local trains in late September? Trains seem simpler and efficient, but what would we be missing out on by not having a vehicle?" (Melisa in Davenport, Iowa)

• KPM_KPM_0505_02701_Celtic_Snapshots_APM
• GUM_GMT_8030_01301_On_the_Road_Again_APM
• Kraftwerk, "Autobahn (remix)," The Mix / Elektra
• KOS_KOS_0123_02201_Jet_Set_Swing_APM
• MODEL_MODEL_0034_00701_Dance_a_Jig_a_APM
• * Bela Fleck, "Rocky Road," The Best of World Music, vol. 2: Instrumental (collection) / Putumayo
• Déanta, "King of the Blues," Celtic Collection (compilation) / Putumayo
• CEZ_CEZ_4058_01101_Banshee_Reel_APM
• Tom Morrison, "Castlebar Traveler," From Galway to Dublin: Early Recordings of Irish Traditional Music (collection) / Rounder (recorded in 1927)
• KPM_KPM_0505_02701_Celtic_Snapshots_APM
• Clannad, "An Gleann," Landmarks / Atlantic
• KPM_KPM_0505_02701_Celtic_Snapshots_APM
• Sharon Shannon, "The Mighty Sparrow," Celtic Collection (compilation) / Putumayo
• David Russell, "Whiskey, You're the Devil," The Emerald Isles (collection) / Telarc
• Au P'tit Bonheur, "Sorciere," Le mal de vivre / Polydor (France)
• * Mobius, "Song of the Black Swan for violin and harp (Villa-Lobos)," Villa-Lobos Chamber Music / Naxos
• The Women's Philharmonic Orchestra, Jo Ann Faletta, cond. with Gillian Benet, harp, "Concertino for Harp and Orchestra: Allegretto (Germaine Tailleferre)," The Women's Philharmonic: Boulanger, Tailleferre, Mendelssohn, Schumann / Koch International Classics
• Reinbert de Leeuw, "Gnossiennes II (Satie)," Erik Satie: Gymnopédies, Ogives, Trois Sarabandes, Petite ouverture à danser / Decca (Netherlands)
• Alan Mills, "Sur le pont de Avignon," Children's Music Collection (compilation) / Smithsonian Folkways
• F. Barcellini, "Theme from 'Jour de Fete,'" Music from the Films of Jacques Tati / Phillips-PolyGram (France)
• Coco Briava, "Les Yuez Noirs," Gypsy Caravan (collection) / Putumayo
• Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, "'Toreadors' from 'Carmen Suite' (Bizet)," LAGQ Latin / Telarc
• London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas, cond., "La Boite a Joujoux - 1: Prelude (Debussy)," Sony Almanac 1992 Highlights of the Year (sampler) / Sony Classical
• Stan Getz, "A Summer Afternoon," Bob Parlocha's 'My Favorite Things' (compilation) / KJAZ

* Indicates filler music used during internal breaks on the broadcast

• Program #367a is a re-edit of a program that originally aired in June 2014, with interviews conducted in January 2014.
• At 11:13, Rick and his tour bus driver guests discuss how Germans insist on not having a speed limit on parts of their autobahn freeway system. At 12:33, they note how the Low Countries have been adding lanes to their highways to address traffic congestion.
• Rick notes at 15:40 that an increasing number of European cities, such as Florence, now prohibit cars from the city center, or create resident-only entry zones.
• At 29:35 caller Erin says she plans to be on her honeymoon in Ireland "this October."
• At 38:04, Rick notes that visitor statistics show that France is the most popular country to visit in the world.
• Caller Richard describes highlights from his visit to Provence "last spring," starting at 46:14.
• Caller Sue says at 48:28 that she wants to see the lavender in bloom in Provence, but not when it's crowded with tourists in late July. Virginie recommends visiting in May and June. At 49:16 they talk about sunflowers in bloom in later summer.
• Virginie notes at 53:18 that the gypsy population holds an annual festival with processions in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in late July.
• Caller Melisa says that she's planning a trip to France "toward the end of September" at 50:43.