Takes a break from Europe to visit St. Paul, Minnesota

An audience in St. Paul, Minnesota greeted the venerable travel teacher Rick Steves on a December night in 2002. The genial host of Rick Steves’ Europe television program was on hand to provide a travel class to a downtown auditorium filled with enthusiasts tuned to the prospect of discovering Europe “through the back door.”

The back door, according to Steves, means straying from the beaten path in one’s travels, circulating with local people and being your own guide. The 80-minute lecture included a slide show of European locales including Germany, Spain, Scotland, Turkey and Greece.

Steves’ easy-going demeanor blends well with his business sense, as well with as his innate humanitarian instinct. Sliding from providing humorous anecdotes and sound travel advice to pitching his travel books, travel products and travel groups, his lecture glides effortlessly, with a hand ruffling his hair, into more serious topics such as the threat of terrorism (“Get comfortable with the fact that there may be terrorism.”) and meeting underprivileged children in third world countries. Showing a slide taken of a group of said children, he pointed out that these children are exactly as important as his own offspring.

The evening was also mixed with understated humor. Newsletters were provided to attendees, although not everyone in the auditorium received a newsletter — he was short on literature for the considerable throng attending the lecture. “Who didn’t get a newsletter?” he asked at one point. There was a raising of hands. Steves scanned the audience and deadpanned, “Oh, just the ones who came in late!”

Speaking about touring Europe on one’s own or being part of a typical tourist group where “50 people in 50 bus seats talk baseball at every lunch,” he offered support to the independent traveler: “If you can make it to this lecture by 7:30 you can make it around Europe on your own!” He paused, looked at his watch, realized that the lecture started at 5:30, not 7:30, and offered up, “Ahh… did I say 7:30? I meant 5:30.”

Regarding Prague, I believe it was, Steves mentioned that he encountered the cheapest and best beer that he’s ever had. The servers kept returning to provide refills “like it was water.” He had to tell them no after awhile to stop them from bringing more beer. Looking for a moment as if he pined to be back in Europe enjoying an evening out, he said with some amount of wistfulness, “25 cents for an incredible mug of beer like you’ve never tasted!” A slight teardrop may have glistened in an eye as he recalled the moment.

I’m happy to report that the affable person that we see on our television sets matches his in-person personality. He was more than willing to meet with fans before and after his lecture, autograph merchandise and pose for pictures. I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Steves before his talk and ask to have a snapshot taken. Smiling accommodatingly he obliged, “That’s part of my job!” A fellow travel enthusiast snapped a picture with my digital camera. (That’s the photograph you see at the top of this article.)

An open forum followed the lecture where I asked this voluable man what obstacles he has had to overcome with language or dialect barriers he’s experienced in his journeys. “I don’t even speak American grammar!” he said. Looking me eye to eye, he said that, while traveling, to ask a local person if he speaks English. He will usually say no, but then will declare that he speaks, well… a little English. In places where English isn’t the common language, speak what Rick Steves calls “simple English” and you will be able to circulate with the local people, get off the beaten path and discover your own back doors.

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For more information on Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door visit www.ricksteves.com.

© 2002 Todd Wisti

Todd Wisti’s travelogue Full English Breakfast was published by iUniverse.com in 2001