This stuff fascinates me.

The cheese-making, that is. I have no idea why.

Alpine farms welcome travelers for a peek at the cheese making action and each village takes pride in its own cheese.


It's the whole food prep thing, I think. Same reason I dig on Iron Chef America, though actually cooking doesn't appeal much to me. It's the process, the artistry, the... excellence... invested, for lack of a better word.

Rick stays at a farmhouse B&B in Tuscany's hilly Crete Senese country, where generations of the same family have celebrated "the sweet life" with locally-produced pecorino cheese, prosciutto ham, and Chianti wine.



This, on the other hand, makes Germany seem like a magical place... beer, sausage, surfing, and nude sunbathing. Brilliant.

Students, office workers, and families alike enjoy a sunny break from everyday life in Munich's 200-year-old English Garden. Sprawling over three miles through the city, it's the largest urban park on the continent. In August, surf's up where the stream enters the park, and sunbathers enjoy their own private bank.


I never really got into Europe, per se, but I do dig on Rick Steves' podcasts and vids. Something soothing about his voice, I think. I'm simple.