Program 591a: Polynesian Explorers; Northern Greece; Greek to Me

Discover the timeless allure of Greece on the next Travel with Rick Steves.

Tour guides from Athens and Thessaloniki recommend attractions to visit in northern Greece, and "Comma Queen" Mary Norris explains what a love for the Greek language and mythology can add to your own odyssey in Greece.

We'll also admire the seafaring skills of the Polynesians, and hear how a cultural faux pas led to Captain James Cook's fateful encounter with the Hawaiians.

• This is a re-edit of a program that first aired January 18, 2020.

• Christina Thompson, author of "Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia" (Harper)
• Anastasia Gaitanou, tour guide from Thessaloniki, Greece
• Apostolos Douras, tour guide from Athens, Greece
• Filippos Kanakaris, tour guide and theater director from Athens
• Mary Norris, author of "Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen" (W. W. Norton)

• Christina Thompson is the author of "Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia." Christina is also editor at the Harvard Review Online.
• The ancient burial tombs of Aigai at Vergina, in northern Greece, are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Anastasia Gaitanou is a tour guide and expert on ancient Greece, based in Thessaloniki.
• Filippos Kanakaris has directed modern adaptations of classical Greek plays for the Syn Drómos Theatre Company in Athens.
• Tour guide Apostolos Douras includes photos and information on the places in Greece where he guides on his Wonders of Knowledge website.
• Mary Norris summarizes her passion for Greek language and culture in an article she wrote for the New Yorker. Her latest book is "Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen."

• Glykeria, "Tik Tik Tak," World Playground (collection) / Putumayo
• Seawind, "Follow Your Road" from their 1979 album Light the Light / A&M Records
• Iaora Tahiti, "Legende De Hiro," Drum Beats of the Pacific (collection) / Hula Records
• Daniel Ho and Ozzie Kotani, "Paka Ua," The Descendants (soundtrack) / Sony Masterworks
• Galliard String Quartet, "Makani Waipio," Songs of Liliuokalani / Wa Nui
• Klangraum, featuring Maisey Rika, "Maori Beat," Manako (soundtrack) / Fuego (Germany)
• * Saucetone, "He Aloha Noa Honolulu," Saucetone (digital download) / Blue Pie Productions
• Yorgos Kazantzis, "Sorocos," Buddha-Bar vol. 3 by Ravin (collection) / George V Records
• Antonis Remos, "An Ksanarthesis," 1000% Epitihies (collection) / BMG Greece - Sony Distribution
• Yiorgos Gerolimatos, "Megiemele," 1000% Epitihies (collection) / BMG Greece - Sony Distribution
• Katerina Papadopoulou, "To Hioni," Dance of Heaven's Ghosts (collection) / EMI International
• Vangelis, "Music from Mythodea," Creating the Perfect Atmosphere (sampler) / Sony Classics
• Yannis Markopoulos, "Proino Sto Nafplio (from the film 'Dama Spathi')," Music for Films, vol. 2 / Elliniki Dimiourgia Ltd.
• * Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson, conductor, "Gnossienne no. 3 (Satie)," Satie: Orchestral Works / EMI Classics
• Ilias Mastoris, "Nafplio," O Ihos Tis Polis / Metronomos
• Michael Deep, "Those Eyes," Panorama - disc 2 (collection) / Higher Octave
• Old Musical Workshop, "Parthenio Tou Alkmanos" and "Imnos Stin Mousa," Ancient Greek Melodies (collection) / FM
• London Pops Orchestra, Stefan Linburg, "Never On Sunday," Award Winning Movie Themes of the '60s / Michele Records
• Glykeria, "Tik Tik Tak," World Playground (collection) / Putumayo
• Haris Alexiou, "To Tango Tis Nefelis," Live '92-'97 / Mercury-Polygram (Greece)

* Indicates filler music used during internal breaks on the broadcast

• At 16:49, Christina cautions that people living on Pacific atolls, especially in Micronesia, are at the greatest risk from rising ocean waters.
• Mary refers to Cyprus as a scene of continuing conflict, with still "a war going on over there," at 52:45.