Good evening.

This is Inside the Cover.

Tonight's book is For the Love of Europe by Rick Steves.

I have long appreciate and enjoyed Steves perspectives as a veteran traveler travel guide, and travel writer, and he is a skilled and thoughtful communicator.

Now, for full disclosure, I should note that over the years, Marcia and I were fortunate enough to take 11 Rick Steves tours over many countrie in Europe, starting with Italy and France in 200 and ending with Ireland in 2016.

We thoroughly enjoyed each tour and found ourselves charmed by the organization' ‘Europe through the back door approach to travel.

This show is not intended as plug for Steves tour company, but instead I am hopeful that we can provide you with some information and insight into traveling in Europe and learning about his favorite places, people and stories.

If you appreciate history, architecture, culture, religion, art and artisans, politics, food and beverages, and you are interested in people, I think you will enjoy this book.

In the following excerpts, I'm attempting to provide you with a few highlight from his writing and his travel.

‘With saints and stained glass overhead, heroes in carved stone all around, and the bodies of England's greatest citizens under the floor, Westminster Abbey is more than a religious part of England.

It's the national soul as well.

‘The Irish like to say that in a pub you're a guest on your first night.

After that, you're a regular.

That's certainly true in Dingle.

The next parish over from Boston.

‘Amsterdam is a laboratory of progressive living bottled inside Europe's finest 17th century city.

Amsterdam sees itself as a city of the future, built on good living, cozy cafes, great art, street corner jazz and a persistent spirit of live and let live.

‘The high altitud thrills of the Alps are matched by the high cultured thrills of Vienna.

And whether I'm standin all alone atop an alpine bluff or enjoying standing room only at the opera, both make me want to raise my arms high and sing for joy.

‘When we travel, we hav the opportunity to see history as it's unfolding with knowledge of the past.

We can better appreciate the significance of what's happening today.

That's something a lot of travelers don't take advantage of, and it's never been mor important than it is right now.

‘Rome is a cauldron of urban life, mixing random bits from today yesterday and centuries gone by.

It's high class and low class, sacred and profane, grandiose and fragile, stormy and tranquil all at once.

A mix seemingly designe to give visitors from far away indelible memories.

And finally, ‘Travel can broaden our perspective, enabling us to rise above the advertiser driven infotainment we call the news to see things as citizens of the world.

By plugging directly into the present and getting the world's take on things firsthand, a traveler goe beyond traditional sightseeing.

With these excerpts and quotations.

I have attempted to give you glimpse of Europe as experienced by Rick Steves, along with his insights as to the benefits of travel.

Let me suggest that these benefits are also achievabl by travel in our own 50 states.

I hope you enjoyed our literary journey, and that perhaps we have incentivized you to check your passport, think about that place you've always wanted to visit and call your travel agent, or do your traveling in the pages of that next great book.

That's our show.

I have enjoyed getting in touc with some of my great memories, and I hope you enjoyed the show as well.

We would love to hear from you if you did.

Goodnight and see you next time.