To help update this book, Rick and Steve relied on...
Mary caught the travel bug as a child living in London and as an exchange student in France. Deeply in love with a Frenchman and the mother of three, she’s now a proud Parisian. In her free time, she hunts for the city’s best baguette and studies delicate differences between our cultures.
After growing up in Wisconsin, Tom first headed east—living in London, Paris, and Germany—before reversing direction to end up on the West Coast. A former newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and ESL teacher, he now researches and edits guidebooks for Rick Steves’ Europe. He lives in Seattle with his wife Julie.
Born in Denver and raised in central Ohio, Cameron settled in Seattle in 2000. Ever since, he has spent three months each year in Europe, contributing to guidebooks, tours, radio and television shows, and other media for Rick Steves’ Europe, where he serves as content manager. Cameron married his high school sweetheart (and favorite travel partner), Shawna, and enjoys taking pictures, trying new restaurants, and planning his next trip.
Kristen, a native of Seattle, first visited Europe as an exchange student, studying theater. Many years later, she is fluent in French, German, Champagne, and foie gras. Kristen has been leading tours and researching guidebooks for Rick Steves’ Europe since 2000. After stays in southern France, Berlin, and Paris, she now lives in Seattle with her husband, Sylvain, and their daughter, Charlotte.
After living for 10 years in Los Angeles, Montana, and Florida, Virginie has been back in France for two years. Originally from Brittany, she now lives in Lyon with her husband Olivier, where they fully embrace its title of “food capital of the world.” Along with doing book research, she teaches Americans about French culture and history while leading Rick Steves’ Europe tours.
Gene has co-authored a dozen Rick Steves books and contributes to many others. For this book, he wrote material on Europe’s art, history, and contemporary culture. When not traveling, Gene enjoys composing music, recovering from his 1973 trip to Europe with Rick, and living everyday life with his daughter.
Thanks to Steve’s wife, Karen Lewis Smith, for her assistance covering French cuisine, and to Steve’s children, Travis and Maria, for help with children’s activities. Thanks to Rick Steves’ video editor and assistant tour guide Aaron Harting for his help with the original “Winter Sports in Chamonix” section. The co-authors would also like to thank David Price, who lives in Avignon and is a fine source of information about key sights in Provence.