I just got finished watching Rick Steves' Iran on the local public TV station.

I've been DVR'ing Rick Steves' Europe for a little over a month now because if we ever go back to Europe, I'd like to know of some places to visit. The other good thing about Rick Steves is his shows are usually only 30 minutes so I feel some sense of accomplishment if I can get through a show.

Rick is a little bit of a nerd. He also reminds me of someone I used to work with. Coincidentally the same person was the one who first told me about his books, Europe Through The Back Door, when I was first planning a trip over 10 years ago.

Anyway, Rick Steves' Iran was really fascinating, or to use Rick's seemingly favorite term "evocative".

When American's think about a country like Iran they probably think about Ayatollahs or Ahmadinejad. Rick showed what it was like walking through cities like Tehran and Shiraz. Rick even admitted that he was fearful before going there. He didn't know what to expect. However everyone he met was really friendly and smiling... I'd never want to drive in Tehran though. Scary traffic and no traffic lights!

Rick doesn't usually do interviews in his Europe shows except a random shop owner here and there, but on the Iran trip he talked to some people about life in Iran. He tried to ask his guide why Shiite and Sunni muslims are always at odds when they are the same religion (making a point that Protestants and Catholics fought). He asked a young woman about customs like shaking hands. All the time being very respectful of their culture. The same woman was very clear in telling Rick that it isn't the Iranian people that hate Americans it is the Iranian government. That kind of clarity of thought makes me cringe to think that less than a year ago McCain was singing "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb... Bomb, Bomb Iran".

The history parts of the show were interesting as usual. Persian culture is very rich dating over 2500 years. Persepolis would be one of the stops I'd go to if I was ever in the Middle East.

I am going to end this post with a great quote I found on Wikipedia from Rick. It pretty much embodies why I like traveling outside the US:

Travel, like the world, is a series of hills and valleys. If something's not to your liking, change your liking. Travel is addicting. It can make you a happier American, as well as a citizen of the world. Our Earth is home to nearly six billion equally important people. It's humbling to travel and find that people don't envy Americans. They like us, but with all due respect, they wouldn't trade passports.