A live recording of the Koerner Quartet from their performance at the Koerner Recital Hall on Sunday, December 8th, 2013, Vancouver, BC.
1. Allegro - 0:00
2. Andante con moto - 12:03
3. Scherzo - 23:30
4. Presto - 28:34

String Quartet No. 14 in D minor "Death and the Maiden" by Franz Schubert

679a Nordic Roots; Dutch Towns; Bridge to Nicaragua

Learn about the societal roles and everyday lives of the women of Pompeii. Then get recommendations from a Greek tour guide for some islands that should be on your radar for your next visit. And take a walk on the Emerald Isle's weird side with a local collector of all things offbeat, outlandish, and delightfully Irish.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

809 Women of Pompeii; Lesser-Known Greek Isles; Weird Ireland

Hear how Gothic literature uses scary stories and the supernatural to explore human nature. Then learn about the origins and traditions of Mexico's annual celebration of departed loved ones. And get a New Orleans tour guide's take on the uniquely spiritual culture of her city as well as some of its most haunted sights.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

810 Gothic Literary Tourism; Mexico's Day of the Dead; Spooky New Orleans

Guidebook researcher Cameron Hewitt opens our eyes to the history, nature, and genuine welcome that awaits travelers venturing to the Slavic nations of central and eastern Europe. Then a tour guide from Switzerland explains what compels him to join in the thunderous running the bulls in Pamplona each summer, as he's done for five decades. And listeners chat with Rick about their latest European travel discoveries.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

811 Slavic Europe; Running with the Bulls; Checking In

One of Rick's favorite Venice tour guides lets us in on changes afoot in Italy's city of dreams. Then the tireless Senior Nomads share lessons from a dozen years on the road as they unpack their suitcases and settle down for good. And a gastronomic guide invites us to dig into the best bites from across the continent.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

812 What's New in Venice; The Senior Nomads Come Home; Food Tours in Europe

Historian Colin Jones has managed to distill centuries of French history into just 250 pages, and he leads us through significant sights from the mighty nation's recent past. Then a veteran BBC correspondent recalls turbulent times in 1980s Afghanistan and the hotel that still stands as a symbol of the country's resilient people. And a photographer from Scotland's Hebrides describes his ongoing quest to capture the moods, light, and breathtaking beauty of his homeland.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

813 20th-Century France; Finest Hotel in Kabul; Photogenic Scotland

Author Terry Tempest Williams describes the various "personalities" of a dozen US national parks and examines each one's contributions to the American character. Then historian Flannery Burke tells us how Arizona and New Mexico came to embody what we now think of as the Great Southwest. And travel writer Christopher Solomon enjoys getting dusty on a mountain-bike tour across southern Utah.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

495b National Parks Dinner Party; The Great Southwest; Utah's Craziest Bike Ride

A Paris-based journalist lets us in on what happens behind closed doors at the city's grandest museum when it shuts to the public each Tuesday. And the last apprentice to be trained in the medieval techniques of masonry in Tuscany reveals how ancient secrets help to turn stone into masterpieces of art and architecture.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

814 Tuesdays at the Louvre; Stone

Hear a Francophile's recommendations for some of the most magnificent religious architecture to explore in Paris. Then vicariously experience a winter solstice ritual from inside an ancient tomb in Ireland, and warm up to the custom that's central to life in Finland: the sauna. Plus, kick off the Christmas season with local holiday traditions from Tallinn, Rome, and Venice.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

815 Sacred Paris; Newgrange Solstice; Finnish Sauna; Christmas in Estonia, Rome, Venice

Christmas is a little different across the pond — where Santas dwell on farms or in the woods, festively decorated boats stand in for sleighs, and fermented trout is a must-try treat. Learn about holiday traditions observed in France, Norway, Greece, London, the Spanish Basque Country, and small-town Italy, as a slate of Rick's guides share their customs and memories of this festive season.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.