Program 711: Greek Godmother; Favorite Athens Neighborhoods; Appreciating Islam; Tibetan Prayer Flags

It's an honor that comes with responsibilities, when you're asked to be a child's godmother in Greece. On the next Travel with Rick Steves, we'll hear about the importance of the extended Greek family.

A guide from Athens updates us on the types of neighborhoods you can explore in the Greek capital.

An Arab-American explains his admiration for the Islamic religion of his friends.

And we'll learn the meaning of Tibetan prayer flags, and how to properly display them.

• Greece-based tour guide Maria Sioulas
• Athens-based tour guide Effie Perperi
• George Gorayeb, former Peace Corps volunteer
• Lori Erickson, author of "Near the Exit" and "Soul of the Family Tree" (Westminster John Knox Press)

• Rick checked in with Maria Sioulas in Greece during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic on his blog. 
• The Rick Steves online destination guide to Athens.
• A guide to more than three dozen museums in Athens.
• Efie Perperi is a private tour guide in Athens, and can be contacted on Facebook.
• George Gorayeb hosted a lecture for a community college in Maryland, in which he outlines his appreciation for the Islamic faith.
• Lori Erickson investigates her Viking ancestors in her book, "The Soul of the Family Tree."  Her next book, due in September 2023, will center on spiritual locales in the United States.

• Wiliam Aura, "Purple Shadows," Panorama, disc 2 (collection) / Higher Octave
• London Pops Orchestra, Stefan Linburg, "Never On Sunday," Award Winning Movie Themes of the ‘60s / Michele Records
• Glykeria, "Pare Me Apopse Pare Me," Athens to Andalucía:  A Mediterranean Odyssey (collection) / Putumayo
• Felix Maria Woschek and Ustad Sultan Khan, "Halleluja - a Gregorian chant," Blessings / Woschek Spiritual
• Haris Alexiou, "na ziso I na pethano," Live '92-'97 / Mercury-Polygram (Greece)
• Nena Mendi, " Panagia Mou Ena Paidi (Mama Mia, What a Child)," A Tribute to the Greek Cinema (collection) / FM Records SA
• * Yorgos Kazantzis, "Sorocos," Buddha Bar, vol. 3 (collection) / George V Music (France)
• Yannis Markopoulos, "Proino Sto Nafplio (from the film 'Dama Spathi')," Music for Films, vol. 2 / Elliniki Dimiourgia Ltd.
• Haris Alexiou, "zilia mou," Live '92-'97 / Mercury-Polygram (Greece)
• Michelle Sell, "Eclipse," Secret Harbor / Sugo Music
• Andreas Koumbaroulis, "Edo Sto Pezodromio," Dance of Heaven's Ghosts (collection) / EMI International
• Anemos, "Miazis Me Fotia," Athens to Andalucia: A Mediterranean Odyssey (collection) / Putumayo
• Yiorgos Gerolimatos, "Megiemele," 1000% Epitihies (collection) / BMG Greece - Sony Distribution
• Manolo Sanlúcar, "Oración," Tauromagia / Polydor  
• * Yanni, "Retreat to Dream," Sensuous Chill / Yanniworks-Portrait
• Divanhana, "Grana od bora," Bilješke iz Šestice / RSG Radio (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Du'Oud, "Ne Yalan Soyleyeyim," Wild Serenade / Label Bleu (France)
• Kudsi Erguner, "Mervé - the sacred flute of the whirling dervishes," Les musiques du Sud / Al Sur (France)
• Baly Othmani, "Azouiegh Illougan," Assarouf / Worldly-Triloka
• Choying Drolma and Steve Tibbetts, "Kyamdro Semkye," Cho / Hannibal
• Tarun Nayer, "Kezang La," 22º of Beatitude / Chaiwalla's Boombox
• The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, "Kha-rag Ri," Off the Beaten Track (collection) / Detour-Erato
• Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Chanson," BTTB / Sony Masterworks

• Rick mentions being in Greece "at Eastertime, a few years ago" in the open to segment A, and at 10:53.  Maris entions the importance of Easter services in Greece at 15:13. 
• In the reset at 14:36, Rick says that Maria has lived in Greece "for more than three decades."   
• In the segment B open, Rick says the population of metro Athens in approaching 4-million. 
• Rick calls Athens one of Europe’s "most improved cities" in the billboard, segment A open, and early in Segment B.  Effie adds that the air pollution Athens was known for has been cleared up.
• At 31:15 Effie describes construction in the city’s Exarchia neighborhood, to accommodate a new subway line to the National Archeological Museum.  She adds that the neighborhood’s Saturday Farmer’s Market attracts a lot of people from the rest of the city.
• At 41:00 Rick mentions it being "the Ramadan season in Islam." (Ramadan in 2023 runs from March 22 through April 21.)
• At 52:28, Rick introduces Lori Erickson with a mention of her "latest book," "The Soul of the Family Tree."
• Rick notes that Lori is planning to release a new book "in September" at 58:14.