In this new episode of Rick Steves' Europe we explore Warsaw, the heartbeat of contemporary Poland and home to hard-fought 20th-century history, Chopin concerts, and a grand palace. After a stop at the gingerbread bakeries in red-brick Toruń, we ogle the massive Teutonic Knight fortress of Malbork. Finishing in maritime Gdańsk, we experience handsome Hanseatic townhouses, amber jewelry, and stirring Solidarity history. Check your local public television station for airdates and times, stream wit

Rome is the home of Vatican City, headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and of some of Europe’s most sacred Christmas traditions. Manger scenes, called presepi, originated just a little north of Rome in Assisi some 800 years ago, when St. Francis taught the story of Jesus's birth with props. For a bit of manger history, visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. There you can see five wooden planks, said to be from the original Christmas manger. Or visit the Vatican's Nativity scene – the

Rick and Shelley’s New Orleans Adventure My girlfriend Shelley and I just wrapped up a great little stateside vacation: visiting my niece in New Orleans, her sister in Arkansas, and my grandbaby in Los Angeles. While you can “see the sights” in New Orleans, if you happen to have a niece living there who is the most festive, artistic, bohemian, and chic person you’ve ever met (see nicolinaart.com), you don’t need no guidebook. Nicki and her partner Edgar fled Manhattan for the Big Easy, and it wa