EMA'S PICKS: Stamp your viewer's passport with travel shows
Mar. 9—We're still some time away from packing our bags and safely heading out on some international flights, but that doesn't mean you can't start planning for that glorious day already. When that day comes, I'm booking a flight for a nice Italian getaway to enjoy the coast, food and beauty.
The last few months I've really had the travel bug. Day trips here and there help, but I'm still always craving a new adventure in a different country. Luckily, I've got some friends who have been able to help me.
You might know one of them: Rick Steves, the man who truly has my dream job. He travels around Europe, visiting museums and historical places, mingling with locals and eating some of the most delicious food. Way to rub it in, Rick! "Rick Steves' Europe" includes a great mixture of visiting bustling cities such as Paris, Berlin and Rome, while also going off the beaten path and discovering new beauties.
To say I've seen a bunch of episodes already is an understatement. It's hard to stop watching one right after the other — it's addicting television and educational! One trip to Berlin focused greatly on the fall of the Berlin Wall, and parts of it that symbolically remain up, and a grand Holocaust memorial. In Paris, you learn about Notre Dame's history, the construction of the Eiffel Tower and stop by a few posh cafes in the city.
My favorite episodes so far have focused on the Croatian coast — obviously I'm a little biased with that one — as well as the French Riviera. The beauty of the Mediterranean Sea mixes with charming and dreamy small towns, glitzy shops and beautiful people. Watching that episode made me think I was in a James Bond movie, and I was ready for my martini.
As much as I enjoy looking at how beautiful the entire continent is, I love the historical tidbits Steves throws into each episode, giving you a better appreciation of the art, architecture, customs and other cultural phenomena of a location.
"Rick Steves' Europe" episodes are available to watch on YouTube, Amazon Prime and Tubi.
Another friend on my travel adventure is one we lost a few years ago, but whose work still delights: Anthony Bourdain.
Bourdain was a chef, author and documentarian who loved to travel the world, explore different cultures and cuisines and share his findings with us. He knew exactly how to make us laugh through his shows while also teaching us a little bit about the people with whom we share this planet. If you haven't checked out "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" so far, this is the time.
Along with episodes set in Europe, "No Reservations" helps audiences explore Asian, Middle Eastern, South American and African cities and countries, along with a few U.S. destinations. Each episode covers some history, but the true star of the show is the cuisine. Food tells you a lot about a region — what crops are grown there, how they are used in dishes and how the people enjoy food together. Sometimes the key to people's hearts and souls is through food, and Bourdain finds it with each episode.
During his Croatian coast adventure, he visited a bluefin tuna farm where these fish are bred and raised until it's time to make sushi (warning for people who are squeamish: The episode does show how these fish are killed). He also harvested mussels, went hunting for truffles and enjoyed maybe a bit too much Croatian wine. Bourdain doesn't keep it very PG, but that's one of the things I always enjoyed about him — he pushed the envelope and took us along for the ride.
His U.S. episodes are also quite entertaining. He travels through the Southwest and meets up with Alice Cooper in the rock legend's restaurant in Phoenix, visits Fisherman's Wharf, Haight-Ashbury and Chinatown in San Francisco and enjoys some Midwest staples from my old hometown, Chicago.
"Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" is available to stream on Hulu. For more of his culinary adventures, viewers can check out "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," which is available on HBO Max and Hulu with a premium subscription.
Ema Sasic can be reached at 661-395-7392. Follow her on Twitter: @ema_sasic.
