The Swiss Alps were our one last hope for a white Christmas -- our worst-case weather scenario back-up. These kids will always recall 2005 as the strange year they celebrated Christmas twice. Season 1, Episode 1 Unrated CC SD CC HD. Monday, December 21 at 9 pm on KRCB TV in the North Bay. Today we travel to Austria, where the festive swirl of heartwarming sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas abound. Being Norwegian, I admit that I was biased…and Norway was destined to make the cut. In Oslo, we had one night to get some music. 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. This is the first year in 30+ that we are cancelling our annual Pizza Party. This was not a "happy holidays" sales gimmick, but a true celebration of Christmas. 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. Gimmelwald was a folk festival of Christmas traditions. In Oslo, we had one night to get some music. 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. The Bavarian family the German Tourist Board lined up for us tried hard. Merry Christmas! Her crew ended up with the hardest schedule (England, France, Italy) and they did more then just cover the script. When Simon suggested that his wife, Val, co-produce and direct the second crew, I was skeptical. 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. And the Burgundy countryside surprised us with its rustic, small-town enthusiasm for the spirit of Christmas. 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. But smartly, I trusted Simon. This is where the season’s most-loved carol, “Silent Night,” was first performed over 200 years ago. Rick Steves' European Christmas gives viewers a look at sacred, intimate family Christmas traditions. 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. While we could only actually be in two places on Christmas Eve and Day (Salzburg and Rome), we managed to fake Christmas Eve in the other places. Buon Natale! Next on our itinerary was Rome — where the specialty is manger scenes. 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. Austria had its musical ups and downs. We spent long hours feasting and filming with them, but ended up with nothing usable. 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. Scheduling was also tricky, as there were concerts (such as a choir singing "Silent Night" in the church where it was first performed) and Christmas season celebrations (such as Santa Lucia Day in Norway) that had to happen on a specific day. 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. I knew Val socially but had never slogged through a TV production with her. Then, at the door of their gingerbread-cute yet massive home, the entire family greeted us with a Christmas yodel. But it was basically a muddy, touristy mess, with underwhelming music and not a hint of the magic we had naively hoped for. The parents secretly decorated the tree, placed the gifts, and lit the real candles. He had to set up the mic farther back in the nave, making the recording unusable. We wanted to feature diverse cultures whose colorful Christmas celebrations would be appreciated by American families whose ancestors emigrated from those places. But when we started filming, it looked like Norway would be a weak segment…so I needed to scramble. In an auditorium with several hundred lovingly wonderstruck grade-schoolers, the Christkind held court. Then, in a festive finale, bells ring throughout the Continent as Christmas Day sweeps across Europe. 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. After producing more than 100 travel shows, Rick Steves and his film crew finally celebrate Christmas in Europe. Join Rick Steves for a colorful, musical celebration of Christmas across Europe. High in Switzerland, the mighty Alps seem to shout the glory of God. Nick." But we did manage to go to Drøbak, the self-proclaimed Christmas capital of Norway, and take part in Santa Lucia Day, which brings everyone out to dance around the trees…with their crowns of real candles. I had to get snow in the Alps...and just barely did. Bavaria and Tirol proved to be classic Christmas country. 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. 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. 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. He had emailed me photos of his beautiful snow-covered village a month before. Scheduling was also tricky. During the 2005 holiday season, my crew and I enjoyed producing a one-hour public television special we hope will be around for many Christmases to come. Europe - Rick Steves European Christmas - Rick Steves has a new special to be aired on PBS stations beginning shortly after Thanksgiving. 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. Val also co-authored the Christmas book that was a byproduct of our project. Today we travel to London, which offers Christmas fun fit for a queen and streets twinkling with joy. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves’ European Christmas. (Go ahead, sing it.). Merry Christmas! Created by Rick Steves' Europe Staff Featured Playlist. The Bavarian family the German Tourist Board lined up for us tried hard. Being Norwegian, I admit that I was biased…and Norway was destined to make the cut. But December had been unseasonably warm, and on the days leading up to our arrival the town was bare and wet. 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. The rise and fall of fascism in Germany; tracing the roots of Nazism after World War 1, from Munich to Nuremberg to Berlin; exploring the totalitarian society built by Adolf Hitler. Like the region's children, we were mesmerized with Nürnberg's quirky Christmas angel. It was a Bethlehem home show, as all over town creative crèches were on display. The highlight was filming the midnight Mass at the Vatican on Christmas Eve — which happened to be Pope John Paul II's last Christmas. To celebrate the season, I'm sharing clips, extras and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves' European Christmas. Each of the two crews generally had three or four days to film a region, and then one day to travel to the next. 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. I visited my very traditional cousin, only to find that their holiday celebration felt about as robust as Columbus Day. We joined Romans cooking up female eels, Parisians slurping oysters, Tuscans tossing fruit cakes, and Norwegian kids winning marzipan pigs. 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. Terms of Service | Privacy. 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. But the evening just felt stiff. PBS. We had a lot of fun last night at our Monday Night Travel event! We drove there and arrived just half an hour before the concert began. Filming the children mob her after she said, "If you're very, very gentle, you can touch my wings," was great TV. 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. Olle arranged everything. Inside their time-warp home, a classic grandma was making cookies with children you just had to pinch, an old Habsburg-era grandpa played the zither, Mom lit the advent wreath while teaching her child the significance of each candle, and Dad blessed the house from the attic to the barn with incense as his daughter sprinkled Holy Water with a sprig of spruce. Val was absolutely wonderful — an artist, a great writer, and a strong leader and manager. We hope you can enjoy "Rick Steves' European Christmas" this holiday season on your public television station. When we got there, they said no camera, just a microphone. 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. I am well-connected in the fairy-tale village of Gimmelwald. To celebrate the season, I'm sharing clips, extras and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves' European Christmas. Merry Christmas! Our crew took up the rear, was unable to find a taxi, and had to walk through Rome for an hour laden with all their gear to get back to their hotel. But I’m getting ahead of myself — that clip is on its way. Olle's parents came by (grandpa even grew an old-fashioned big white beard for the filming) as they pulled out all the stops to celebrate a traditional Swiss family Christmas Eve…on December 21. I visited my very traditional cousin, only to find that the holiday felt about as robust as Columbus Day. Each crew generally had three or four days to film a region, and then one day to travel to the next. By Rick Steves. They rang the bell, and the kids tumbled into the room so filled with wonder. The Alps would also be a great place to rendezvous with my family. Our script was designed to playfully let the Christmas season build — but never quite reach a holiday climax — in each place we filmed. 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. Norway happened to be wet and warm when we visited, and the secular Norwegians don’t really do Christmas with the gusto I had imagined. 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 writing the script for the special, I had to choose which countries would “make the cut.” I could fit only seven into the mix. Several days before that, we had been in the Swiss Alps, our one last hope for snow. Joyeux Noël! 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 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. 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. After 15 years of cameos in our TV shows, my son Andy got a serious part. 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. Suddenly, the old but very spry Mother Superior dashed across the altar in the direction of the out-of-sight nuns' choir. With the crew double-parked in the dark, I ran in, found the director, pleaded my case...and he said, "Ya, sure." Certain events — such as a choir singing “Silent Night” in the church where it was first performed near Salzburg, Santa Lucia Day in Norway on December 13, and Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican — were fixed, so we had to work our schedule around those. For coronavirus (COVID-19) travel information, As the recent commercialization of the holiday season has driven me abroad for several recent Christmasses, I was happy to take our crew to a continent where people aren't counting the shopping days left until 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. We scrambled to get out there on Christmas Eve and set up at the several spots where events were to take place. 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. It premiered on September 3, 2000; since then a total of 10 seasons and 129 episodes have been produced and broadcast in syndication. 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. 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. The vast basilica was packed, the pope seemed radiant, and our cameraman put our viewers right in the front pew. As the harpist did her magic, I just sat in the back…feeling very thankful. 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. We included France hoping to show off the rich (and tasty) traditions of a great culture the challenges so many Americans. Through the seven countries where we filmed our Rick Steves' European Christmas special, six were snowless. 60 S00E02: Viva la France March 4, 2006. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves’ European Christmas. For example, German Christmas tree lots were just opening up on December 22, as they don't put up trees until Christmas Eve. A highlight for our crew was filming the Midnight Mass at the Vatican on Christmas Eve in 2004 — which happened to be Pope John Paul II’s last Christmas. I simply had to get snow in the Alps... and just barely did. In France, we found Paris celebrates Christmas with its typical urban flair: extravagant lighting, yummy window displays, skating up on the Eiffel Tower. To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras, and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves’ European Christmas. ©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. The Bavarian family the German Tourist Board lined up for us tried hard. 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. Our goal: to give our viewers a look at European Christmas through the eyes of a child, a parent, and a pilgrim. The tour guide in me was determined to cover the Christmas concepts and "meet the locals." We filmed Gimmelwald's children enjoying the annual visit from this dynamic Christmas duo. Writing the script was a fascinating challenge. Watch with Rick Steves — European Christmas Enjoy Rick's live Monday Night Travel party with this video recorded on December 21, 2020. So our sound man carefully set up the microphone stand to the side of the altar facing the choir of nuns (as I sat in the back happily humming "Climb Ev'ry Mountain"). The Christmas special is the only time we’ve ever filmed with a sound technician. Rick Steves' European Christmas. 56min 2005 13+ After producing more than 100 travel shows, Rick Steves and his film crew finally celebrate Christmas in Europe. Fröhliche Weihnachten! Hubby's grandparents were from Calabria and we use his mom's recipe, slightly changed for our tastes. The result a picturesque snapshot of the European holiday spirit in a colorful, musical, one-hour special. PBS. 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. As the harpist did her magic, I just sat in the back, feeling very thankful. 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. European Christmas October 21, 2005. I was excited to experience the ritual reenactment of the first performance of "Silent Night" in Oberndorf, the town where it originated. The result: a picturesque snapshot of the European holiday spirit in a … Thankfully, a strong snowfall hit the day of our arrival, giving us the white Christmas of our prayers. After we filmed her show before an awestruck crowd of German kids, we were invited to a private audience with her. But the evening just felt stiff. First — like a video Advent calendar — we have lots more windows to open, peeking in on families and cultures and countries as Christmas approaches. 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) And the donkey played…himself. 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. No European traditions except we make homemade pizza on Christmas Day. see our FAQ. I've worked with producer Simon Griffith for six years and his brilliance was what I've come to expect. But we did manage to go to the self-proclaimed Christmas capital of Norway and take part in Santa Lucia Day, which brings everyone out to dance around the trees...with their crowns of real candles. 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 Gamle Aker Kirke. I managed to persuade the musicians to perform for us a private little concert in the church, so we at least filmed "Silent Night" as it was first performed (two guitars and two singers). Join Rick as he experiences the local culture, cuisine, and fun along with some powerful lessons that only travel can teach. 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. Andy's sidekick, the black-clad henchman Schmutzli, was Olle's son, Sven. Season 11 of Rick Steves' Europe debuts this October and features eight all-new episodes. After considering everywhere from Poland to Greece to Ireland, we settled on seven cultures: England is so perfectly jolly and ye olde, with a Dickensian ambience and a wonderful tradition of caroling. 30 ... Rick Steves' Lectures: Iran PBS. 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. 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?" In the teeming metropolis of Cairo, we climb to the center of a pyramid, greet the Sphinx, and marvel at King Tut’s gold. The festive swirl of heartwarming sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas abound in the land where the season's most-loved carol, "Silent Night," was first performed over 200 years ago: Austria. When our cameraman smiles as he films, I know we're getting good footage. ©2021 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | To celebrate the season, I’m sharing clips, extras and behind-the-scenes notes from Rick Steves’ European Christmas. Up here, where villages huddle under towering peaks, Christmas fills a … 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. Abo... ut 5,000 of you joined me online to watch the new episode of Rick Steves’ Europe, “French Alps and Lyon,” filmed last year. 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. My key support person was Olle, the village schoolteacher. Directors We drove there and arrived just half an hour before the concert began. Bavaria and Tirol are bursting with holiday traditions — home of those famous Christmas markets, "O Tannenbaum," and "Silent Night." The Bavarian family the German Tourist Board lined up for us tried hard…but the evening just felt stiff. Merry Christmas! Finally, our storybook "white Christmas" village would be high in the Swiss Alps. Join Rick Steves for a colorful, musical celebration of Christmas across Europe. Our script was designed to playfully let the Christmas season build — but never quite reach a holiday climax — in each place we filmed. We had two crews to fan out across Europe visiting seven countries in two weeks leading up to the 25th. The TV Special: Experience Christmas with Rick Steves in England, Norway, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland! We finished setting up just minutes before show time. They took me dashing through the fields in a two-horse open sleigh. England came through royally. Up here, where villages huddle under towering peaks, Christmas fills a … Seconds later, our sound man was evicted — dragging all his gear along, with a tail between his legs, out of that holy zone. With Rick Steves. This was the first time PBS provided me with production funds. (Other shows I'd watched where the host was without family seemed almost mournful.). My rule is generally, no family on the crew. Filming Christmas in Europe: The story behind the special 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. Join Rick Steves for a colorful, musical celebration of Christmas across Europe. 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. This year, Schmutzli translated because Samichlaus spoke only English. 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. Experience the fun, conviviality, intimacy, and spontaneity of joining Rick in his living room as he shares his personal, inspirational, and …