Europe2018

Munich-born tour guide Daniela Wedel chats with Rick about laid-back, traditional Bavaria, where pretzels and beer combine with legendary castles and fairy-tale scenery. They also share ideas for enjoying Oktoberfest and the Passion Play performed every 10 years in Oberammergau. Related travel information at www.ricksteves.com.

Munich and Bavaria - Audio Europe: Germany, Austria

Iconic statues and paintings.
     Paris, the City of Light, is a beacon of civilization, and the Louvre Museum presents a full inventory of Western culture. To cover the entire museum — the world's largest — in a single visit is impossible, so let's focus on the Louvre s specialties — Greek sculpture, Italian painting, and French painting. We'll see "Venuses" through history, from scrawny Stone Age fertility goddesses to the curvy Venus de Milo; from the wind-blown Winged Victory to placid medieval Madonnas; from Mona Lisa to Lady Liberty, the symbol of modern democracy. We'll see how each generation defines beauty differently, getting to know the people of the past by admiring the things they found beautiful. Along the way, are masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, the French painters, and many of the most iconic images of Western civilization. Don't forget to download the handy PDF companion maps.
     Sightseeing nitty-gritty: The Louvre costs €9 (€6 after 18:00 on Wed and Fri, free on first Sun of month) and is covered by the Paris Museum Pass. It's open Wed–Mon 9:00–18:00, closed Tue. Most wings stay open Wed and Fri until 21:45 (except on holidays). The last entry is 45 minutes before closing. 
     It's located at Métro Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre or Louvre-Rivoli. Tel. 01 40 20 53 17, recorded info tel. 01 40 20 51 51, www.louvre.fr. Bus #69 serves the Marais and rue Cler, and taxis stop on rue de Rivoli.
     Lines to enter through the glass pyramid can be very long. Crowds are worst on Sun, Mon, Wed, and mornings. Museum Pass-holders can use the never-crowded group entrance in the pedestrian passageway (labeled Pavilion Richelieu) between the pyramid and rue de Rivoli. (It's under the arches, a few steps north of the pyramid; find the uniformed guard at the security checkpoint entrance, at the down escalator.) Or, enter through the underground shopping mall called the Carrousel du Louvre (at 99 rue de Rivoli or directly from the Palais Royale-Musee du Louvre Metro stop.) Once under the pyramid, buy tickets faster by using the automated machines. Baggage storage and WCs are located under the pyramid (WCs are scarce once you're in the galleries). For food, the Louvre has several cafés, but your best bet is the food court of the underground shopping mall. Photography without a flash is allowed. Consider an evening visit — it's peaceful, and the glass pyramid glows after dark.
     [This audio tour was updated in 2023]
     For more specifics, consult my guidebook. This is excerpted from Rick Steves' Paris 2010. Copyright 2009 Avalon Travel. Related information at www.ricksteves.com.

Louvre Museum Audio Tour - Audio Europe: Paris

While exploring my local woodland during Winter Storm Bobby on 1/29/2022, I noticed a particularly loud and frequent creaking and popping coming from a large, dual-trunked yellow popular, Liriodendron tulipifera.

Upon further inspection, I found the popular was hollow and had a large, vertical crack running about 25' up the trunk. 

I setup my SASS microphone directly in front of the cavity and recorded for about an hour.

Unfortunately, a snow blower polluted most of the recording but I was able to capture about 20 minutes of pure tree creaks and pops! This recording is an excerpt from that longer file.

I plan to revisit this tree during every major wind storm with the hope of capturing the moment that it gives way and returns to the forest floor...stay tuned :)

Thanks for listening ♫

Tree Creaks Inside a Yellow Popular

Published Sep 21, 2014 - Find out how easy it is to cycle almost anywhere in The Netherlands. Also, learn how Paris was a leader in designing attractive plazas and parks that anyone can enjoy like an outdoor living room, whether you live there, or are just planning a visit.
 For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Biking in Amsterdam; How Paris Became Paris; Open Phones:  Paris - Travel with Rick Steves

MEDITATION TEACHINGS & TECHNIQUES with Diana Lang 
www.DianaLang.com 
Diana Lang © 2024

MUSIC used with permission by Steve Roach, "Structures from Silence"

WE ARE VIBRATIONAL BEINGS with YES/NO Practice

We’re kicking off Black History Month with Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, who came to NYPL in 2010 for a conversation with activist and author Angela Davis. In this wide-ranging talk, Morrison and Davis discuss Frederick Douglass, education, and liberation.

Toni Morrison and Angela Davis on Connecting for Progress

Meditation teacher and voice actor Elaine Smookler leads a mindfulness practice that consists of laying down and placing attention on each area of your body, from head to toe. 

30-Minute Body Scan for Beginners

378 - Terence McKenna: "A Psychedelic Point of View"

Published Jul 10, 2016 -- Historian David McCullough introduces us to some of the most influential "Americans in Paris" of the 19th century, who returned home to apply the lessons they’d learned in the City of Light -- thereby helping transform a young United States. Also, tour guides from France celebrate Bastille Day with us, and New York Times correspondent Elaine Sciolino tells us what makes her own neighborhood in Paris feel like home. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Bastille Day in France; The Only Street in Paris; Americans in Paris -- Travel with Rick Steves

You can learn to play this piece. FREE scores and parts, among other materials, are available online: kronosquartet.org/fifty-for-the-future

Composed by Laurie Anderson
© 2017 Inner Sunset Publishing
℗ 2017 Kronos Performing Arts Association
Commissioned for Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire

Produced by Kronos Quartet
Recorded July 2017 at 25th Street Recording, Oakland, CA
Engineered and mixed by Alex Spencer
Assistant engineer: Peter Labberton
Production Assistant: Reshena Liao
Edited at Lazy Dog Sound Studios, Long Beach, CA
Mixed by Alex Spencer and David Harrington at Decibelle Recording, San Francisco, CA

III. Airy

Laurie Anderson - Shutter Island: III. Airy

In this episode Ru and Michelle are joined by Jenifer Lewis. They discuss Jackie's Back, Broadway, Bette Midler, Shangela, Bipolar Disorder, and her new book 'The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir'.


This episode is sponsored by Casper and Blue Apron.

Episode 128: Jenifer Lewis

This natural soundscape was recording early morning, deep in the forests of Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Sulawesi.

Species recorded on this track include Green Imperial Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit Dove, Black-billed Koel, Ornate Lorikeet, Blue-backed Parrot, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Hornbill, Black-naped Oriole, Pied Cuckooshrike, Pale-blue Monarch and many more...

Tangkoko Morning - A Rainforest Soundscape from Sulawesi

Tangkoko Morning - A Rainforest Soundscape from Sulawesi, Indonesia

An example of a short mind/body relaxation pain management exercise to help you better manage your musculoskeletal pain.

painHEALTH is a musculoskeletal pain management website that helps you manage your pain and gives you pain management tips. 

painHEALTH - Relaxation Exercise

Published Apr 09, 2006 - When Ella Fitzgerald sang "April in Paris," she knew the perfect place to combine fresh flowers, spring showers, and romance. Half a century later, no other city comes close.
          Whether you're dreaming of your first trip to Paris, or planning a return, you'll enjoy Parisian tour guide Arnaud Servignant's inside look at his home town. We'll also take listener calls about cultural faux pas they've experienced in their visits to the City of Light -- all on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

An Insider's Guide to Paris - Travel with Rick Steves

Published Apr 06, 2008 - If you haven't seen Paris you haven't tasted the best of Europe. French tour guide Patrick Vidal joins Rick for an insider's perspective on the style and substance that make Paris a cultural capital. We'll also hear from listeners with their own suggestions for what makes Paris one of the world's favorite cities. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Paris City Guide - Travel with Rick Steves

Published Oct 03, 2010 - Parisian guides offer suggestions on the best ways to explore the city on foot — including how to avoid the crush of rush hour on the Metro — and a Paris-based New York Times journalist shares favorite hideaways among the many quiet, hidden gardens scattered around the city.
 For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Louvre Museum Audio Tour - Audio Europe: Paris

Rick Steves Audio Europe

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