781a Potsdam; Emperor of Rome; On the Hippie Trail

781a Potsdam; Emperor of Rome; On the Hippie Trail

April 17, 2026 · 52 min

About this episode

The episode explores Potsdam's attractions, ancient Roman life with Mary Beard, and Rick's adventures on the Hippie Trail.

We hear why the city of Potsdam — home to elegant Prussian palaces and parklands, all in quick reach of central Berlin — is worth a day's visit. Then we get a sense of what life was really like for the emperors of ancient Rome, with the help of classicist Mary Beard. And we travel back to 1978 with Rick and his longtime buddy Gene Openshaw as they retrace their post-college adventures along the infamous "Hippie Trail" from Istanbul to Afghanistan to India, all the way to Kathmandu. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

People in this episode

Host: Rick Steves

Guests: Mary Beard, Gene Openshaw

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Potsdam, Berlin, Istanbul, Afghanistan, India, Kathmandu

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