Travels in Europe with Rick Steves

Rick Steves begins another 3,000-mile tour at Ireland's West Coast. He tells viewers to slow down when visiting Ireland.

Both the capitals of Ireland and Northern Ireland are rooted in a bitter struggle for independence. Rick shows some of the passion evident in Irish city citizens.

Rich enters Wales via ferry. Once on land, he scours through castles and cuisine, talking about driving on the left side of the road. He also gets to hear a bit of the Welsh language.

It's Festival time in Edinburgh, and Rick commutes through the city at its busiest time. Planning ahead is the key, both to an organized city like Edinburgh and its tourists.

Rick concludes his U.K. stretch of the tour in rhe Cotswold traditions. He walks through Chipping Campden to Bath to Avebury.

Both Normandy and Brittany have seen its historic battles. Rick mentions several struggles in both regions, to be sure, but he also has tips on local French cuisine.

Brugge in Belgium is fast becoming a tourist mecca while retaining its old charm. Rick visits the locales common to medieval citizens: an almshouse, a lace-making school, a refuge for war widows. Brussels is but a whistle-stop en route to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, storied in fortresses and battles. Today Luxembourg is the model country for a unifying Europe.

Thoughts of Burgundy lead to the top of the French wine list and other elegant images. Rick turns for guidance to Steve Smith, a savvy Francophile. Rick reminds viewers how best to use the metric system, and shows alternate means of overnight stay.

The TGV whisks Rick to the popular Loire Valley, starting in Amboise. Rick tells of the hard-fought history in the region. Then it's off to the Mediterranean splendor of Provence. Rick advises all to be polite when visiting France.

This 70-minute pledge special rounds up some of Rick's favorite scenes from the first two seasons.

""Holy Toledo"" is a daytime mecca for tours from Madrid. Rick tackles both regions, discussing the Moorish ways of Spain.

Rick avoids the traffic jams of Costa del Sol (at least until the fourth season). His goal is for Andalusia's interior villages. Spain offers Zahara, Grazalema and Arcos de la Frontera. And of course, there is Seville, as Rick labors into Spain's Moorish past.

There are still parts of the Algarve Coast that are not well-known, such as the village of Salema. Within the resort town of Lagos and ancient Cape Sagres, Rick shares safety tips for traveling alone as well as using the metric system in markets.

The second 3,000-mile tour ends in Lisbon. Rick retells Portugal's glorious past. He reminds us how to find inexpensive and comfortable lodgings in expensive parts of Europe.