Over the next two weeks, I’ll be sharing clips, extras, and behind-the-scenes notes from my one-hour special, “Rick Steves’ European Christmas.” (If you enjoy watching this show with friends and family, be sure to let them know!) The tour guide in me was determined to cover the biblical story of Christmas in this special while also explaining related holidays and traditions and meeting the locals. We learn about Epiphany, Advent wreaths, the origin of St. Nicholas, the pagan roots of many Christ

Saint Petersburg, Russia 🇷🇺 - the city of dreams ❤️ Video by: Surkhaev | St Petersburg Guide

Simply put, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is one of the most magnificent, influential, historic, and revered buildings on Earth. For centuries, it served as the greatest church in Christendom. It was home to the Byzantine Emperor and Orthodox Patriarch (the “eastern pope”), and a beacon of civilization during Western Europe’s so-called “dark ages.” When Muslims conquered Constantinople, this great church suddenly became one of the world’s greatest mosques. And when it was secularized in the 20th cent