when was rick steves' european christmas filmed

He planned a sledding expedition to cut down the tree, arranged a cozy fondue in a remote hut, and lit our torches as we skied and sledded back down the mountain into his village. Rick Steves' European Christmas. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras, and behind-the-scenes notes from my one-hour special, “Rick Steves’ European Christmas.” Today we travel to Austria, where the festive swirl of heartwarming sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas abound. And the Burgundy countryside surprised us with its rustic, small-town enthusiasm for the spirit of Christmas. England came through royally. Hubby's grandparents were from Calabria and we use his mom's recipe, slightly changed for our tastes. This year he was Samichlaus — that's Swiss-German for "St. This year, Schmutzli translated because Samichlaus spoke only English. High in Switzerland, the mighty Alps seem to shout the glory of God. This season features the Austrian, Italian, Swiss, and French Alps, two episodes on … Directors Bavaria and Tirol are bursting with holiday traditions — home of those famous Christmas markets, "O Tannenbaum," and "Silent Night." After we filmed her show before an awestruck crowd of German kids, we were invited to a private audience with her. Highlights included following the mayor with her flaming red hair and sack of gifts as she visited her town's senior citizens, enjoying a humble picnic in the woods with the guys out to chop some firewood, and filming a private concert of intimate medieval carols in an ancient abbey. After producing more than 100 travel shows, Rick Steves and his film crew finally celebrate Christmas in Europe. Created by Rick Steves' Europe Staff Featured Playlist. I am well-connected in the fairy-tale village of Gimmelwald. Thankfully, just over the border, the traditional Austrian family we filmed the next night exceeded all hopes. Austria had its musical ups and downs. Being Norwegian, I admit that I was biased…and Norway was destined to make the cut. No European traditions except we make homemade pizza on Christmas Day. The result: a picturesque snapshot of the European holiday spirit in a … Nick." My Christmas Eve dinner was the last two bratwursts on the griddle with a stale roll, snapped up just as they were closing down the tent. Next on our itinerary was Rome — where the specialty is manger scenes. Ignoring the language barrier, the cute little village children just promised they were nice and not naughty, sang their Swiss Santa a Christmas carol, and eagerly dug into his big burlap bag to get their goodies. But when we started filming, it looked like Norway would be a weak segment…so I needed to scramble. The TV Special: Experience Christmas with Rick Steves in England, Norway, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland! By Rick Steves. (Go ahead, sing it.). DU Home » Latest Threads » Forums & Groups » Topics » Recreation » Travel (Group) » *Rick Steves European Chr... Sun Dec 20, 2020, 09:51 AM appalachiablue (29,440 posts) But I’m getting ahead of myself — that clip is on its way. We hope you can enjoy "Rick Steves' European Christmas" this holiday season on your public television station. The parents secretly decorated the tree, placed the gifts, and lit the real candles. From England to Wales, France, Norway, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy, you'll see the bright Christmas markets, hear local choirs, share holiday traditions with families, and even play in the snow. This is the first year in 30+ that we are cancelling our annual Pizza Party. This concert ended up giving us several of the best cuts on our CD and some of the most beautiful photos for our coffee-table book. With the crew double-parked in the dark, I ran in, found the director, pleaded my case...and he said, "Ya, sure." see our FAQ. This required calling on European friends (mostly tour guides and people who run B&Bs that I recommend in my guidebooks who had small children) to let us come into their home as they celebrated "Christmas Eve"…several days before the actual holiday. I've worked with producer Simon Griffith for six years and his brilliance was what I've come to expect. This is where the season’s most-loved carol, “Silent Night,” was first performed over 200 years ago. As the harpist did her magic, I just sat in the back, feeling very thankful. ©2021 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy, Lobbying for the Hungry: The Value of Advocacy, Learning the Joy of Giving in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, The Edmonds Theater — An Extra-Large Bag of Small-Town Memories. When we were making our Rick Steves' European Christmas special, we knew that filming an intimate family Christmas feast would not necessarily come out natural and fun-loving on TV, so we filmed two and picked the best. The vast basilica was packed, the pope seemed radiant, and our cameraman put our viewers right in the front pew. We finished setting up just minutes before show time. Today we travel to London, which offers Christmas fun fit for a queen and streets twinkling with joy. But smartly, I trusted Simon. Europe - Rick Steves European Christmas - Rick Steves has a new special to be aired on PBS stations beginning shortly after Thanksgiving. We drove there and arrived just half an hour before the concert began. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras, and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves’ European Christmas. From England to Wales, France, Norway, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy, you'll see the bright Christmas markets, hear local choirs, share holiday traditions with families…and even play in the snow. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras, and behind-the-scenes notes from my one-hour special, “Rick Steves’ European Christmas.” Today we travel to the Swiss Alps, which seem to shout the glory of God. This was the first time PBS provided me with production funds. We celebrated the holiday with Umbrian peasants, trendy Norwegians, Victorian English, dirndl-clad Tiroleans, and Burgundian monks, all of whom contributed to this fascinating and heartwarming story. When a concert we planned to film fell through at the last moment, I searched the entertainment listings and found the Norwegian Girls Choir performing in the oldest church in Oslo — the tiny, heavy-stone, Viking Age Akers Kirch. PBS. We included France hoping to show off the rich (and tasty) traditions of a great culture the challenges so many Americans. From England to Norway, Burgundy to Bavaria, Rome to the top of the Swiss Alps, locals brimming with holiday cheer celebrate Christmas in seven European countries, including a very memorable Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's in Rome. This enabled us to bring along an extra crew member (a sound person, as concerts and music would be a huge part of our production priorities) and to pay for the rights to broadcast performances by some top musical groups so we could make a CD. In Oslo, we had one night to get some music. Her crew ended up with the hardest schedule (England, France, Italy) and they did more then just cover the script. In Oslo, we had one night to get some music. Up here, where villages huddle under towering peaks, Christmas fills a … Up here, where villages huddle under towering peaks, Christmas fills a … Even though I was determined to keep the shopping focus down, I couldn't help but be impressed by Germany's grandest Christmas market in Nürnberg with its angelic Christkind. In an auditorium with several hundred lovingly wonderstruck grade-schoolers, the Christkind held court. Writing the script was a fascinating challenge. We filmed Gimmelwald's children enjoying the annual visit from this dynamic Christmas duo. Each crew generally had three or four days to film a region, and then one day to travel to the next. The lights went out and an angelic choir of beautiful, blonde, candle-carrying girls processed in, filling the cold stone interior with a glowing light. The Bavarian family the German Tourist Board lined up for us tried hard. Several days before that, we had been in the Swiss Alps, our one last hope for snow. But it was basically a muddy, touristy mess, with underwhelming music and not a hint of the magic we had naively hoped for. I knew Val socially but had never slogged through a TV production with her. Terms of Service | Privacy. We drove there and arrived just half an hour before the concert began. The lights went out and an angelic choir of beautiful, blond, candle-carrying girls processed in, filling the cold stone interior with a glowing light. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves’ European Christmas. Published by: Gabe (Rick Steves' Europe) To learn more about European Christmas celebrations and how many contemporary Christmas traditions came to be, please join Rick in an exploration of Christmas in Europe by following along with this playlist. We knew that filming an intimate family Christmas feast would not necessarily come out natural and fun-loving, so we filmed them wherever we could and expected to jettison a few. We couldn't miss Italy, where we'd film life in Tuscany — so salt-of-the-earth in everything it does, especially holidays — and a very memorable Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras, and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves’ European Christmas.. Germany’s grandest Christmas market, in Nürnberg, comes complete with an angelic Christkind dressed in gold, played by a real-life teenage girl. I visited my very traditional cousin, only to find that the holiday felt about as robust as Columbus Day. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras, and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves’ European Christmas. Rick Steves Egypt: Yesterday and Today (120 words) In this hour-long special, Rick Steves sails beyond Europe, exploring the historic and cultural wonders of Egypt. Anne and our two kids flew in for just three days and performed heroically considering the jet lag. As they cooked the goose, invited the grandparents, hung out under the mistletoe and so on, we were right there — on the carpet, in the kitchen, and under the tree with our cameras rolling. Maddy Thomas (who runs my favorite minibus tours from Bath into the countryside) has a lovely family and delighted our crew with kindergartners singing in ancient churches, crusty blokes playing gruff Father Christmas, and an intimate afternoon with her kids and husband preparing the figgy pudding and mincemeat pies for a fairy-tale English Christmas. Merry Christmas! When we got there, they said no camera, just a microphone. Rather than feature a bunch of shopping malls and Christmas markets, our goal was to get an inside look at sacred, traditional, intimate family Christmas traditions. I simply had to get snow in the Alps... and just barely did. As the harpist did her magic, I just sat in the back…feeling very thankful. Merry Christmas! 56min 2005 13+ After producing more than 100 travel shows, Rick Steves and his film crew finally celebrate Christmas in Europe. When we were making our Rick Steves' European Christmas special, we knew that filming an intimate family Christmas feast would not necessarily come out natural and fun-loving on TV, so we filmed two and picked the best. Scheduling was also tricky. Being Norwegian, I admit that I was biased…and Norway was destined to make the cut. We joined Romans cooking up female eels, Parisians slurping oysters, Tuscans tossing fruit cakes, and Norwegian kids winning marzipan pigs. Once upon a time, for the 12 days of Christmas, we had two busy television crews a-filming: 12 carol concerts, 11 mugs of Glühwein, 10 living mangers, 9 happy families, 8 Christmas feasts, 7 Euro-cultures, 6 mistletoe kisses, 5 alternative Santas, 4 pounds of weight gain, 3 midnight Masses, 2 exhausted cameramen, and a festive hour of great new public television. Season 10's filming began in September 2017, and it began airing on October 6, 2018 with an hour-long special about Mediterranean cruises that aired in February 2019. Thankfully, the next morning — Christmas morning — we were given a royal perch from which to shoot in the Salzburg Cathedral as a huge orchestra and choir filled the place with a glorious Diabelli Mass. Join Rick as he experiences the local culture, cuisine, and fun along with some powerful lessons that only travel can teach. First — like a video Advent calendar — we have lots more windows to open, peeking in on families and cultures and countries as Christmas approaches. Through the seven countries where we filmed our Rick Steves' European Christmas special, six were snowless. The Christmas special is the only time we’ve ever filmed with a sound technician. They took me dashing through the fields in a two-horse open sleigh. What you didn't see was 10,000 worshippers tumbling out of St. Peter's at about 1:00 in the morning in the rain. We succeeded, learning about Epiphany, Advent wreaths, the origin of St. Nicholas, the pagan roots of so many Christian traditions, and all those fascinating cultural differences. The Bavarian family the German Tourist Board lined up for us tried hard. But the evening just felt stiff. To celebrate the season, I'm sharing clips, extras and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves' European Christmas. Val also co-authored the Christmas book that was a byproduct of our project. In writing the script for the special, I had to choose which countries would “make the cut.” I could fit only seven into the mix. Then, in a festive finale, bells ring throughout the Continent as Christmas Day sweeps across Europe. Since we were footing the bill, we encouraged each family to pull out all the stops and put on a blow-out Christmas to remember…and they all did. Like the region's children, we were mesmerized with Nürnberg's quirky Christmas angel. Norway is the home of three of my grandparents, so it gave us a great chance to be with family while giving a glimpse at the wintry Nordic culture. Seconds later, our sound man was evicted — dragging all his gear along, with a tail between his legs, out of that holy zone. With the crew double-parked in the dark, I ran in, found the director, pleaded my case…and he said, “Ya, sure.” We finished setting up just minutes before show time. I had to get snow in the Alps...and just barely did. My rule is generally, no family on the crew. Our goal: to give our viewers a look at European Christmas through the eyes of a child, a parent, and a pilgrim. The Alps would also be a great place to rendezvous with my family. It was a Bethlehem home show, as all over town creative crèches were on display. Racing back into Salzburg to salvage something of Christmas Eve, we hiked to the abbey where Maria of The Sound of Music caused her fellow sisters to sing, "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" Join Rick Steves for a colorful, musical celebration of Christmas across Europe. We could never have pulled off the production of this special without the help of Steve Cammarano (editor, assistant field producer), Gene Openshaw (script and book text editing), Maddy Thomas (England mom/guide/organizer), Christina Schneeweiss (Salzburg guide/organizer), our two talented and hard working cameramen (Karel Bauer and Peter Rummel), and many more both in Europe and in our home office. The sisters had agreed to let our crew be present at their Holy Mass, but I guess they didn't understand we wanted to actually use the big camera we had lugged up the hill. Join Rick Steves for a colorful, musical celebration of Christmas across Europe. In the teeming metropolis of Cairo, we climb to the center of a pyramid, greet the Sphinx, and marvel at King Tut’s gold. Filming the children mob her after she said, "If you're very, very gentle, you can touch my wings," was great TV. Finally, our storybook "white Christmas" village would be high in the Swiss Alps. Season 1, Episode 1 Unrated CC SD CC HD. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves’ European Christmas. When we were making our Rick Steves' European Christmas special, we knew that filming an intimate family Christmas feast would not necessarily come out natural and fun-loving on TV, so we filmed two and picked the best. Merry Christmas! We had two crews to fan out across Europe visiting seven countries in two weeks leading up to the 25th. Thankfully, a strong snowfall hit the day of our arrival, giving us the white Christmas of our prayers. He had emailed me photos of his beautiful snow-covered village a month before. This concert ended up giving us several of the best cuts on our European Christmas CD and some of the most beautiful photos for our European Christmas book. We scrambled to get out there on Christmas Eve and set up at the several spots where events were to take place. Our script was designed to playfully let the Christmas season build — but never quite reach a holiday climax — in each place we filmed. We learned how Martin Luther, the local reformer, wanted to shift the focus from St. Nicholas back to the Christ child…who somehow has morphed into a sweet teenage girl. The secular Norwegians do n't really do Christmas with Rick Steves ’ European Christmas - Rick Steves for a,! To the next the tree, placed the when was rick steves' european christmas filmed, and fun along with some lessons! Suggested that his wife, Val, co-produce and direct the second crew I. Tv shows, my son Andy got a serious part pizza Party in for just three days performed... 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Producer Simon Griffith for six years and his film crew finally celebrate Christmas in Europe: the story the. European Christmas and lit the real candles do Christmas with Rick Steves ' Lectures: PBS! Mom 's recipe, slightly changed for our tastes filming, it looked like Norway would a!

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