1 comments about Globe Trekker: Africa Zimbabwe Botswana.

1. Well-produced program introduces the viewer to three distinctive African nations. Host Andrew Daddo is an engaging presenter, game for the adventures that typify a Globe Trekker journey. Beautiful images capture the grandeur of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, a languid ride through Botswana's Okavango Delta in a dug-out canoe (including some fun camaraderie with his amiable guide), and the spectacular red dunes of the Sossvlei region of Namibia. By the time the end credits rolled, one may just be ready to start a course of anti-malarials and follow in Andrew's footsteps.

No comments about China and the World (Meishu, Travels in Chinese Art, Program 2).

1 comments about France: Burgundy, Provence & the Loire.

1. Rick Steves' PBS series is one of my "can't miss" TV shows every week, so this video, which combines a couple of his shows on France, is "magnifique". Steves gives lots of practical advice about travel in France, takes us to Burgundy wine country, a rural gite, wonderful restaurants (just looking at the food made my mouth water!), and the Chateaux of the Loire valley. I'm going to France this fall, so being able to get a preview of some of the places I'll see was wonderful.

   No one is as good at doing Europe as Rick Steves. He has a down to earth style and really mixes it up with the locals, staying at small hotels, eating in mom & pop restaurants. He has a way of making you feel that you've seen the real France (or Italy, or Germany, etc.), not just the tourist destinations.

   If you love France you'll love it even more after viewing this video. (Also check out the one on Paris, Normandy and Brittany. This one is my favorie, however...I've watched it many times in anticipation of my trip!)

   Happy Travels!

1 comments about Colonial Williamsburg.

1. This video provided wonderful historic insight into what is today's Colonial Williamsburg. It provided a glance at 18th century living, and how it is re-enacted today, and also highlighted the archetecturial features of the city.

   A wonderful overview of the history of the nation's one time capital.

1 comments about Switzerland: Berner Alps, Western Switzerland.

1. I like Rick Steves' approach to European travel. He finds comfortable, affordable lodging and good restaurants off the beaten path and, through his relationships with innkeepers, artisans and others, gives the viewer a sense of getting to know a place. Having lived in Switzerland myself, I can vouch that this video gives a real picture of western Switzerland and the Bernese Oberland. I could taste the hearty breakfasts and feel the cold winter air. With more than two decades of travel experience, it would be difficult to find a more knowledgeable and down-to-earth tour guide than Rick Steves. I like that he always includes some art find, whether it's a church or a museum. It adds a reverential air to his reviews. And you know that someone who likes to eat as much as Mr. Steves is dead on.

1 comments about Trailside: Desert Hiking in Big Bend, Texas.

1. This was an interesting video of Big Bend as it focused on hiking one of the less traveled trails. The video involves two hikers on a overnight trip into the Chisos Mountains to Blue Creek and down to the Ross Maxwell Drive. A good, short and entertaining video that explains how to enjoy and survive the Big Bend environment.

1 comments about Where America Began: Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown.

1. This video is really interesting to me because it shows some of the places I've been in Willamsburg. It also shows places which I didn't go but want to go if I go in Willamsburg again. I also like that it shows interesting things, such as the making of glass from colonial times.

1 comments about Touring India.

1. This is truly a great travel video. It's a cursory tour through a very diverse country, but Rick Ray's script is poetic and sensitive. All too often, travel videos of "exotic" lands are insensitive to the cultures they explore and nearly relegate the locals to zoo exhibits. But as Ray claims, "to analyze India on Western terms is a big mistake." This video covers a broad geographical range, from the Himalayas to the Backwaters of Kerala, from the ancient city of Varanasi to the modern developments of Mumbai. Throughout, this provides the relevant spiritual, cultural, and historical contexts.
   
   There are some funny spots in this movie- for example:
   
   "[The Ganges] waters not only wash the sins out of men's souls, they wash the stains out of men's socks."
   
   and
   
   "It's been said that all Indians are born actors. And the worst ones are in movies."

No comments about Laura Mckenzie's Travel Tips: Tahiti & French Poly.

1 comments about Idaho, An Aerial Tapestry.

1. This well-filmed, well-narrated video covers Idaho East to West and South to North. It follows the landscape by following the rivers of Idaho- the backbone of the state.

   This is a video worth owning, with it's lovely background music it makes you long to be in the outdoors, wandering through the peaks and valleys. Though some may say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, anyone who watches this will say that the varied landscapes of Idaho are indeed beautiful.