Program 700: Pleasures of Mexico City; Why We Travel; Classical Music in Europe

A tour guide from Mexico City describes some of the most pleasant surprises he enjoys sharing about his adopted home. Then the author of the "Thousand Places to See Before You Die" series explains why culture shock can be the highlight of your next overseas vacation. And a young orchestra conductor describes some of his favorite European venues for enjoying a classical-music concert.

• Author and tour guide David Lida
• Patricia Schultz, author of "Why We Travel: One Hundred Reasons to See the World" (Workman)
• Orchestra conductor Lee Mills

• David Lida wrote "First Stop in the New World," to describe how Mexico City is poised to be the Western Hemisphere's most important city.  David is also the author of "One Life," loosely based on his mitigation work on behalf of undocumented Mexicans, charged with capital offenses in the United States.    
• Patricia Schultz is the author of the books in the "1000 Places to See Before You Die" series.  Her latest title is "Why We Travel: 100 Reasons to See the World."
• Conductor Lee Mills includes his conducting schedule of upcoming concerts with the Seattle Symphony, the Elgin Symphony, and the Spartanburg Philharmonic on his website. 
• European classical music festivals that Rick and Lee recommend include the Aldeburg Festival  (founded by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears), held in June at Snape Maltings Concert Hall in Suffolk, England; the Aix-en-Provence summer opera festival in the South of France; opera season with the Vienna Philharmonic; the Salzburg Festival; and visiting the Mozart House, Haus der Musik, and the instruments room at Hofburg Palace in Vienna.
• Rick provides a video sample from his "A Symphonic Journey" presentation with the Boston Pops in 2019.