Product Review

Program One: London: Roam what Rudy Maxa calls the 'best market visitors rarely see in London' the Borough Market where locals gather Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings to shop among pyramids of cheese, baskets of oysters, and other displays of fresh fish, game, and pastries.   There's been a market on the site since the 1st century AD, when the Romans tied on the feedbag there while sacking the city.  This program features a look at London that goes beyond the postcard city, with visits to the ethnic neighborhood of Spitalfields, a speedboat ride along the Thames, and bar hopping in Soho and Camden Town.

Program Two: Edinburgh & the Scottish Highlands:  Join Rudy at the Edinburgh International Festival, a madcap and colorful, three-week event that says 'theater' in every sense of the world.  The world's largest arts festival features theater, comedy, dance, music, operas, street performances, and the famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a stunning evening performance of martial music and precision marching performed by military bands from around the world in the city's 1,400-year-old Edinburgh Castle.  A trip north to the Highlands includes a ride on the so-called 'Harry Potter Train' as well as a look at the wild beauty of the Isle of Skye and a side serving of the local delicacy, haggis. 

Program Three: Ireland s West Coast: We're blessed with a bit of Irish luck as Rudy takes on Ireland's ruggedly beautiful west coast. Start in Galway, Europe s fastest growing city, shopping for Irish crystal and Celtic jewelry. Then it's a salt-sprayed boat trip to the fabled Aran Islands where you reach breathless heights at a Stone Age fort and ferret out traditional hand-knit sweaters. Heading south, pass through the eerie landscape of the Burren, sample the best of Irish folk music, and binge on a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. In the lush forests of Killarney, we visit the country manor of Muckross, before touring the stunning Dingle Peninsula.

Program Four: Out of London: The countryside outside of London echoes with storybook images. Around every hedgerow are mythic castles, ruined abbeys and prehistoric monuments. This time, Rudy leaves London and stops at Hampton Court, where Henry VIII wooed Anne Boleyn. Gaze on Oxford s dreamy spires and browse in the real Alice in Wonderland s candy store. Next, pay a visit to Jane Austen s house, puzzle over the mysterious megaliths of Stonehenge, and pursue tales of Camelot in the royal city of Winchester.

Rudy Maxa is an award-winning public television personality and America s leading high-end travel expert. A contributing editor for National Geographic Traveler and public radio s original 'Savvy Traveler' Rudy Maxa takes you on unforgettable tours of the cities and regions that have captivated world travelers for centuries. Watch as he brings the marvelous history, culture, architecture, cuisine and personality of each destination to life.