but to enjoy it with maximum understanding, you can hire a local guide. i'm joining up with my friend and fellow tour guide aziz begdouri. >> these guys, they work as ready to work. a painter ready to paint, plumber ready to plumb, electrician ready to wire. so the community works together. if you don't have a phone in the house, you use the phone centers. and we use the community baths, which are called himams. and here's the community oven. it's a bakery. >> a bakery, okay. >> this is the oven for the community. so the families make bread to eat every day in their home and bring the dough here to be baked. they pay him a small fee. depends on loaves of bread they bake. so they pay him for a day or for a week or a month. that's why they have fresh bread every day. >> and it's more than just bread. >> yeah, apart from the bread you've got fish to be roasted. also they bring tagines, who are the stew of lamb or chicken and bring homemade

cookies and all sorts to roast. the peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews, all that. how's it taste? [laughs] >> it's very good. the old town is spinning with traditional artisans. and aziz knows just which passage to duck into to witness cottage industries trapped in time. >> here are the weavers. they're still working the same way as their parents and grandparents. so this is real craft and art that these people have learned from generation to generation. they are very happy to continue doing it. they have the patience. they have the skill, and they do it from their heart. >> and mosaics are created the same way: by hand and without the precision of modern machinery. >> so how does he know where to chip? >> he has a design in his head. and he's working on it. and that way, he knows what he is going to create. and all the designs are geometric designs, because the

muslims, they don't do faces and images. and that's very islamic art. for the muslims, only allah is perfect. for us, the fact that it is not perfect is part of the beauty. >> in the market wander past piles of fruit, veggies, olives, and stacks of fresh bread. you'll find everything but pork. today, the berber women have come in from nearby mountains with wheels of fresh goat cheese wrapped in palm leaves. the fish market is clean, slippery, and full of life. because tangier is a city on two seas--the mediterranean and the atlantic--fish is a big part of the local diet. and it's no surprise aziz is taking me to a restaurant that serves only fish. there's no menu. just sit down and let them bring on the food.

the sink in the room is for locals who prefer to eat with their fingers. it's fish soup, tangine spinach with shrimp, baby calamari and swordfish, and the catch of day: john dory. we've sampled an amazing variety of cultural treats from horses and fairs to whitewashed hill towns, to kite surfers to a bit of jolly old england and a taste of morocco. so much variety all within a couple hours drive and a short ferry ride. that's one thing i love about traveling in this part of the world. i hope you've enjoyed our look at the place where europe and africa meet. i'm rick steves. until next time, keep on traveling. >> i'm josephine cheng, back

with you as we take short break before our final episode of rick steves'iviva españa!. you know, rick, these shows take me right back to spain, which i'm so fond of. but i never made it across the strait to morocco and tangier. and you make your feelings pretty clear about those organized tours of tangier. >> yeah, i don't want to be negative, but i really care for people's travel experience. and we need to understand that a lot of information that comes at us when we're planning our travels is shaped by people wanting your money. we're consumers, and they're selling travel. for instance, the ferry ride from spain to morocco costs the same with or without the all-day tour of tangier. in other words, the tour is free. that's because they make their money on kickbacks from your shopping. and that probably means your guide won't be paid up front either. he'll make money or not depending on if you buy your carpet or whatever. >> what's the standard kickback when a moroccan guide takes a tourist into a carpet shop? >> well, it's around 20%. so you buy a $500 carpet, he

makes $100. that's as much as his dad makes in a factory in an entire month. >> so i guess when that moroccan guide meets us at the boat with a big smile, we'll be doing some carpet shopping, huh? >> well, shopping is fun. but if you're day-tripping over from southern spain and have only one day in morocco, there's so much to experience. you don't want to be waylaid by someone who claims to be your guide but who is actually a salesman in disguise. >> no, and that's why it's great to have you as public television's tour guide. you're certainly no shill for the tourist industry, are you? >> you know, i've thought about the parallels between a good tour guide and public broadcasting. a good tour guide wants to put as much learning as possible into each day. many tour guides are sidetracked from their teaching by having to take their travelers shopping. why? because they make most of their money from getting kickbacks from the shops. it's not really their fault. it's just the system. they get paid by taking you shopping. and unfortunately, that shapes your itinerary. in much the same way, your

commercial television itinerary is shaped by advertiser interests. that's just how media works. but right here in public television we're free to produce and broadcast programs that teach and inspire without regard to commercial agendas. as both a producer and a viewer of tv shows, i'm so grateful to have a network that doesn't get its money by taking us shopping. this station's primary concern is you, the viewer. consider the value in your life of public television. and remember, it's made possible thanks to your financial support. >> absolutely. we'll be trekking with the pilgrims and running with the bulls in northern spain in a few minutes. but right now, the only thing we ask is that you make it over to that telephone. here is a review of the gifts that we're offering to anyone making a contribution today. >> to encourage your support, we have four gift packages for you to choose from. contribute $60, and we'll thank you with the iviva españa! dvd, produced just for this special.

it's packed with everything you're seeing today, plus five more episodes on spain. and just for fun, we'll include these same programs in sparkling high definition on a bonus blu-ray disc. or for $90, you'll receive that gift plus my most important guidebook, europe through the back door, with 700 pages covering all my best travel tip. or for $150, we'll thank you with my 13-disc dvd anthology. that's 50 hours of travel fun, every show we've ever produced. and finally, for $180, we'll thank you with all the gifts: europe through the back door, the special spain dvd set, and the box set of dvds with our entire series. at each level you'll also receive our european planning map, a newsletter explaining the 30 itineraries making our european bus tour program for the coming year, and a copy of the smithsonian magazine that showcases my favorite 20 destinations in a gorgeous coffee table special edition. make that call and make

your choice: $60 for the spain dvd, $90 for that plus the guidebook, $150 for the boxed set of dvds or $180 for absolutely everything. and at each level you'll also receive the map, tour catalogue, and smithsonian magazine. thanks so much. as a tour guide, i love to pack each day with fun experiences. and as a tv producer, i like to pack as much as i can into this dvd box set. if you're enjoying our iviva españa! special, you'll love this new boxed set with all 90 of our shows. it comes with eight shows on spain. it was such a thrill to bring our camera across the strait of gibraltar and to the back streets of exotic tangier. i love my work so much, and i'm thankful to be your guide here on public television. i get to write scripts and produce shows that respect your intellect, assume an attention span, and aren't shaped by the needs of advertisers. this is people's travel on people's tv and this pledge

event is a friendly reminder that it can't happen without your generous support. public television is not a charity. it's a service. if you're enjoying it and if you can afford to support it, i think it's only right to do exactly that. thank you so much for your calls. >> so at two levels today, you'll receive rick's travel skills guidebook as part of your thank-you package. there's no better book if you're dreaming of european travel. >> europe through the back door, updated with 100 days of research every year since 1980, is now out in its 30th edition. throughout my european travels, i take careful notes and pack the lessons i learn into this 700-page handbook. my goal: that you gain from my experience so you can travel smoother and more economically. you'll learn how to avoid costly missteps and make the most out of every minute and every dollar. with this book, you'll discover the best sites to see, how to budget your limited vacation time, and how to protect your precious travel dollars.

i'll do the legwork for you, and you'll learn from my mistakes so you can enjoy a worry-free vacation. europe through the back door is packed with practical tips. all the essential travel skills are covered, from chapters on packing light and planning a smart itinerary to eating your way through europe and finding great hotels. you'll discover how to double your cultural experience for half the price. and the book features chapters on my 40 favorite getaways, the most enchanting corners of europe, discoveries i call the back doors. the savings from the tips you'll learn will earn back the cost of this book on your first day in europe. the stakes are high. we americans, with our dollar not as strong as we'd like it to be and the shortest vacations in the developed world, need to use both our time and our money smartly. and that's what europe through the back door is all about. >> so again, for a pledge of $90 you'll receive rick's how-to travel guidebook.

and at $180 you'll receive that and every other gift that we're featuring. so rick, explain about that blu-ray disc that's included with the iviva españa! dvd. >> well, sooner or later, i think everyone'll be watching their dvds in this new high-definition format. but right now most people are still watching standard definition dvds. i decided to include the extra blu-ray disc after i watched one of my shows in hi-def. the clarity was absolutely mesmerizing. i couldn't stop watching. if you're not into hi-def, give it to a friend who is. but i didn't want people to get the regular disc and then next year have the capability to play a hi-def blu-ray disc and not be able to enjoy the best of spain in such vivid detail. so what the heck? i just included both formats in the basic package. pledge at the $60 level or at the top level and you'll get your iviva españa! collection shows twice--in standard dvd and in this exciting blu-ray format. >> that's nice of you. and remember that at the $180

level, you'll receive all the gifts we're talking about, including rick's entire travel library on 13 dvds. here's a little sampling, about a minute out of the 50 hours of gorgeous travel programming you'll receive. >> the rick steves' europe anthology is the definitive video library of european travel. 90 episodes take you from the fiords of norway to the canals of france, from the wild coast of ireland to enchanting estonia. you'll discover hidden alpine villages, explore modern cities layered with history, feel the thrill of europe's festivals, and relax on the mediterranean. there's delightful cuisine, compelling art... ancient rome controlled the entire mediterranean sea. history brought to life, and the key ingredient to happy travels, having fun with locals. there's a lot of traffic on this canal. three special how-to episodes

provide all the money saving experience enhancing skills. there's our european christmas special and our one-hour look at iran. there's an episode on how we make the show and bonuses you'll never see on tv. there's the practical europe through the back door lecture i've been giving for three decades, some of my favorite scenes that didn't make it into the regular shows, and outtakes, proof that things don't always go as smoothly as it seems. >> [speaking foreign language] >> didn't understand a word he said. >> okay? >> for any traveler or europhile, these 90 episodes with 50 hours of video offer a lifetime of travel learning, lessons, and fun. >> i sure enjoyed meeting your friend aziz in morocco. he seemed like a wonderful tour guide. and, by the way, interviews with the people we meet in rick's programs like aziz are in the tv section of rick's website at ricksteves.com. >> in that section, you'll

find additional resources about this program. and we also have five years of public radio program interviews gathered together in country-specific play lists. it's a wonderful resource supporting our tv programs, and it's free. together, we're turning travel dreams into smooth and affordable reality and making non-commercial broadcasting on public television strong at the same time. if you'd like to help make public television strong in your community, here's a quick review of the ways you can contribute. support this station with $180, and we'll thank you with all the gifts we've been talking about today: the eight-episode iviva españa! dvd plus the blu-ray version as a bonus, the europe through the back door travel skills guide book, and our boxed set of dvds. this anthology brings you the entire rick steves' europe series. it's your choice: $60 for all the spain shows, $90 for that dvd and the europe guidebook, $150 for the big dvd boxed set, or $180 for absolutely everything. and at each level you'll get

the map, tour newsletter, and smithsonian magazine. join us, as together we're making public television strong in your community. >> learning is a lifelong adventure. and this station is your partner along the way, whether it's through travel programs like rick's or a historical documentary. maybe its childrens' programs or music and concerts. you and your family will be educated and entertained by public television. >> and your support is what makes it all possible. decide how much this station means to you and your family, and then make that call. >> as you enjoy this final segment of our rick steves' iviva españa! special, consider all the work that rick and his crew do to bring you this show. they are a part of a creative ecosystem here in public television that provides this kind of programming all year long. support us now, and be part of that team. you'll make quality programming accessible to everyone in your community. thanks so much. now let's travel with rick

to northern spain where we'll trek with the pilgrims... >> and run with the bulls. hi, i'm rick steves, back with more of the best of europe. this time we're all getting pumped up to run with the bulls in pamplona. and if i survive that, we'll join the pilgrims--gratefully-- as they hike to santiago in northwest spain. thanks for joining us. the camino de santiago-- literally the "way of st. james"-- is europe's ultimate pilgrimage route. since the middle ages, pilgrims have walked hundreds of miles across north spain to pay homage to the remains of st. james in the city named for him, santiago de compostela. and in our generation the route has been rediscovered, and more and more pilgrims are traveling this ancient pathway. in this episode we'll enjoy a raucous festival, survive a stampede, witness drama in the arena, join pilgrims as they

trek across spain, ponder magnificent romanesque art, attend a swingin' mass, and share in the jubilation of a pilgrimage completed. during medieval times spain became an important pilgrimage destination. pilgrims from all over europe journeyed to santiago de compostela in the northwest of spain. we'll join the main route, starting in the pyrenees at st. jean pied-de-port, stopping in pamplona, burgos, leon, and on through the region of galicia to santiago. while dedicating a month of your life to walk the camino may be admirable, it doesn't work for everyone. but any traveler can use this route as a sightseeing spine and and as an opportunity to appreciate some of the joys and lessons that come with being a pilgrim. just five miles before the spanish border stands the french basque town of st. jean-pied-de-port. traditionally, santiago-bound pilgrims would gather here to

cross the pyrenees and continue their march through spain. visitors to this popular town are a mix of tourists and pilgrims. at the camino office, pilgrims check in before their long journey to santiago. they pick up a kind of pilgrim's passport. they'll get it stamped at each stop to prove they walked the whole way and earn their compostela certificate. walking the entire 500 mile long route takes about five weeks. that's about 15 miles a day with an occasional day of rest. the route is well-marked with yellow arrows and scallop shells. the scallop shell is the symbol of both st. james and the camino. common on the galician coast, the shells were worn by medieval pilgrims as a badge of honor to prove they made it. the traditional gear has barely changed: a gourd for drinking water, just the right walking stick, and a scallop shell dangling from each backpack.

pamplona, the historic capital of the province of navarre, with its imposing ramparts, is the first major city pilgrims encounter. traditionally, they enter the city through this gate. at its peak in the middle ages, navarre was a grand kingdom that controlled parts of today's spain and france. today pamplona has a distinct energy with its rich traditions and famous festival. we're here in early july for the festival of san fermin. and that means the running of the bulls, one of europe's most exuberant festivals. for nine days each july, throngs of visitors, most dressed in the traditional white with red sashes and kerchiefs, come to run with the bulls and a whole lot more. the festival, which packs this city, has deep roots. for centuries the people of this region have honored saint fermin, their patron saint, with processions and parties.

he was decapitated in the second century for his faith, and the red bandanas you see everywhere are distant reminder of his martyrdom. and you know, i don't think anybody on this square knows or even cares. but at the church of san fermin, it's a capacity crowd, there's no question what to wear for this mass. to this day, locals look to their hometown saint for protection. back out on the streets, it's a party for young and old. there's plenty of fun for kids. and towering giants add a playful mystique to the festivities. the literary giant ernest hemingway is celebrated. hemingway first came here for the 1923 running of the bulls. inspired by the spectacle, he later wrote his bullfighting classic the sun also rises. he said he enjoyed seeing two wild animals running together: one on two legs, and

the other on four. hemingway put pamplona on the world map. when he first visited, it was a dusty town of 30,000 with an obscure bullfighting festival. now a million people a year come here for one of the world's great parties. after dark, the town erupts into a rollicking party scene. while the craziness rages day and night, the city's well organized and, even with all the alcohol, it feels in control, and things go smoothly. amazingly, in just a few hours, this same street will host a very different spectacle. the running of the bulls takes place early each morning. spectators claim a vantage

point along the barrier at the crack of dawn. early in the morning? nope, for many of these revelers it's still late at night. the anticipation itself is thrilling. security crews sweep those not running out of the way. shop windows and doors are boarded up. fencing is set up to keep the bulls on course and protect the crowd. the runners are called mozos. while many are just finishing up a night of drinking, others train for the event. they take the ritual seriously and run every year. at 8:00, a rocket is fired, and the mozos take off. moments later, a second rocket means the bulls have been released. they stampede half a mile through the town from their pens to the bullfighting arena. at full gallop, it goes by fast. bulls thunder through the entire route in just two and a

half minutes. the mozos try to run in front of the bulls for as long as possible--usually just a few seconds--before diving out of the way. they say on a good run you feel the breath of the bull on the back of your legs. cruel as this all seems for the bulls--who scramble for footing on the cobblestones as they rush toward their doom in the bullring--the human participants don't come out unscathed. each year, dozens of people are gored or trampled. over the last century, 15 mozos have been killed at the event. after it's done, people gather for breakfast and review the highlights on tv. all day long, local channels replay that morning's spectacle. [people groaning]

the finale of the event each day is in the evening when crowds fill the bullring. pamplona's arena, the third biggest in the world after madrid and mexico city, is sold out each day of the festival. one by one, the bulls that ran that morning explode out of the gate to meet their matador: first the picadors... then the banderilleros, and finally the matador in his sparkling suit of light. while cruel brutality to many, others still consider bullfighting an art form. it's hard for me to appreciate, but to the spaniards who pack this arena there's a nobility to the beast and an elegance to the fight. good matadors are like rock stars.

they perform with drama, daring, and grace. with each thrilling pass, the crowds cheer until the bull meets his predictable end. if the fight is deemed a good one, the people wave kerchiefs and call for a trophy to be awarded. for this fight, the matador is given an ear from his victim and struts triumphantly around the arena. the festival's energy courses through the city. overlooking the main square, the venerable cafe iruña pulses with music and dance. enjoying the scene with its delightful 1888 interior, i'm impressed by the joyful enthusiasm the people of this town have for their festival of san fermin. after the commotion of pamplona, getting back on the pilgrimage trail brings a welcoming peace. from here the hills give way to spain's vast high plain. a day's walk west of pamplona,

the town of puente de la reina, or "the queen's bridge," retains a pilgrim's vibe. its graceful bridge dates from the 11th century, and pilgrims have been crossing it ever since. narrow main streets are typical of camino towns. they were born as a collection of pilgrim services flanking the path: places to eat, sleep, heal, and pray. this 12th century church, with a stork's nest guarding its steeple, is thought to be founded by the knights templar, who came to protect pilgrims along the route. its stark romanesque interior features a distinctive y-shaped crucifix--likely carried all the way across europe to this spot by pilgrims from germany. i can imagine how 600 or 700 years ago, the weary gaze up at their savior, and be inspired to carry on.

a five day walk, or a two-hour drive for us, brings us to our next stop: burgos. it's a pedestrian-friendly city straddling its river. stately plane trees line the riverside promenade, giving shade through the hot days. its main square seems designed to bring the community together. today's burgos feels workaday but with a hint of gentility and former power. like so many towns here in the north of spain, it became important during the reconquista, that centuries-long struggle to push the muslim moors back into northern africa from where they came. its position on the camino de santiago and as a trading center helped it to flourish. for five centuries burgos was the capital of the kingdom of castile. it's dominated by an awe-inspiring gothic cathedral--designed by french architects in the 13th century with its lacy spires added by german architects in the 14th.

the ornate exterior is matched by its lavish and brightly lit interior. in spain, the final flowering of the gothic age was the elaborate plateresque style. as was typical of gothic churches, it's ringed by richly decorated chapels built over the centuries by and for wealthy parishioners. this chapel is dedicated to saint anne, the virgin mary's mother. its 15th-century altar features the tree of jesse. a sleepy and apparently very fertile jesse slumbers at the bottom sprouting a lineage that connects him to the holy child and virgin. this sumptuous chapel marks the tomb of a regional governor and his wife under a brilliant star-shaped vault it's striking for its gracefulness and femininity.

inspirational as this cathedral is, the pilgrims have a long trek ahead of them. the slow pace and need for frequent rest breaks provide plenty of opportunity for reflection; religious and otherwise. for some, leaving behind a stone symbolizes unloading a personal burden. the first person to make this journey was saint james himself. after the death and resurrection of christ, the apostles traveled far and wide to spread the christian message. supposedly, saint james went on a missionary trip from the holy land all the way to this remote corner of northwest spain. according to legend, in the year 813, saint james' remains were discovered in the town that would soon bear his name. people began walking there to pay homage to his relics. after a 12th-century pope decreed that the pilgrimage could earn forgiveness for your sins, the popularity of the camino de santiago soared.