Rudy Maxa: Europe To the Max - Return Trip [DVD]

As far as I know of, the two main travel-guide videos are Rick Steves's and Rudy Maxa's. Rick Steves seems to be the more popular of the two since his shows are more frequently shown on the PBS channels (at least in the DC area). But in my opinion, Rudy Maxa's videos are much better. First, although both are very informative, Maxa's writing and dialog seems to be better and more eloquently presented...he's almost poetic. His narratives are clear, substantive, and colorful--like how it should be. His portrayals also include splashes of historical facts or cultural trivia that not only make vacation spots more intriguing, they also provide the viewer with a better understanding of the people and their customs. Second, Rudy Maxa's videos seem to be more vibrant and richer in color than Rick Steves's--blues skies are bluer and green pastures are greener. I'm not sure if there is a varying type of filming quality, but for some reason, Rick Steves's DVDs have a dullish hue to them, even when he films under the sunniest conditions. Third, it seems that Rudy Maxa's videos were made with a larger budget than Rick Steves's. From what I can remember, all of Maxa's videos were always filmed on sunny days--displaying vacation spots at their best-conditioned visuals. I remember seeing Rick Steves visiting the Swiss Alps in rainy weather--absolutely not optimal for such magnificent panoramic views. Also, Rick Steves filmed Austria's Hallstatt--probably the most scenic Alpine town--in cloudy weather. Finally and perhaps most importantly, Rudy Maxa's videos use "proper" soundtracks to complement his visual displays. If you have ever done theater or film production, you know that the sound is almost just as important as the visual. Maxa's use of classical music or traditional cultural music from the visited country creates an effect that unites your visual and auditory senses and produces a mood that carries you as if you were there. Rick Steves uses some classical music, but too often utilizes...I'm not sure how to depict it, but I'll describe it as "cheesy" electronic keyboard music that when you see and hear it together, you say to yourself "hmmm...something's not right." It's even evident in his opening credits. Again, it seems that Rudy Maxa's budget was higher and his producers seemed to have strived for perfection to showcase vacation spots at their best rather than filming with a limited budget in mind.If you are planning to travel, I recommend viewing both Rick Steves's videos and Rudy Maxa's videos--both will provide you with very good information and great ideas of what to do. But, whereas Rick Steve's videos will make you say "That would be nice to see", Rudy Maxa's will make you exclaim... "I have to go there!"Regarding this box set, this series and Rudy Maxa's other box set--"Europe to the Max with Rudy Maxa"--are sensational. From what I can tell, the shows are exactly the same as his "Smart Travel" series. Each box has 6 DVDs and each DVD contains 4 or 5 "half-hour" shows, plus other extras such as "Rudy's Travel Tips".This box set has the following DVDs and their descriptions are as follows (I'm copying verbatim from his website):Disc 1: Treasures Outside LondonDiscover history around every corner of Dublin. Shop for Irish crystal in Galway and attend a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. Experience Georgian loveliness in Bath, and hear legends of Camelot in Glastonbury. Climb the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle, and tee up at the world's most famous gold course, St. Andrews.Extras: Rudy's Travel tips, Fascinating Side TripsShows:* Dublin and Beyond* Ireland's West Coast* Bath and Wales* Edinburgh and ScotlandDisc 2: Splendors of FranceJoin Rudy in a toast of champagne producers both large and small in wine country. In Normandy, honor World War II's D-Day landing. Take in the castles and peaks of Carcasonne and the Pyrenees, and cruise the lovely Dordogne and Lot rivers. Just for fun, Rudy shares his picks for a variety of entertaining and exhilarating European adventures.Extras: Rudy's Travel tips, Fascinating Side TripsShows:* Champagne Region* Normandy* Carcassonne and the Pyrenees* Bordeaux and Dordogne* Europe Just for FunDisc 3: Mysteries of Greece and RomeFollowing a tour of Athens's historic sites, take a pilgrimage to the famed oracle of Delphi, and visit a beautiful medieval monastery. After island hopping on the sun-drenched Aegean, explore the environs of Rome by way of the Appian Way. Experience favorite classical sites around the Mediterranean.Extras: Rudy's Travel tips, Fascinating Side TripsShows:* Athens and Delphi* Greek Islands* Out of Rome* Classical EuropeDisc 4: Great Cities of EuropeSavor a feast of Barcelona's delights. Madrid offers grand plazas, sparkling fountains and world-famous museums. Rudy is your guide to high tea in London, modern art in Paris, traditional cuisine in Amsterdam, and Brussels's beautiful town square. Embark on a whirlwind tour of Copenhagen, Berlin, Munich, and Rome.Extras: Rudy's Travel tips, Fascinating Side TripsShows:* Madrid* Barcelona and Costa Brava* Four Great Cities of Europe* Four Great Cities of Europe IIDisc 5: Romantic Germany and BeyondFollow Germany's Romantic road through some of Germany's most picturesque countryside. Take a scenic cruise down Germany's Rhine and Mosel rivers. Marvel at Prague's beautiful Old Town, and discover Croatia's dazzling Croatian coast. Also of note are Rudy's favorite musical moments in Italy, Ireland, Norway and other destinations worth a special trip.Extras: Rudy's Travel tips, Fascinating Side TripsShows:* Germany's Romantic Road* Germany's Rhine and Mosel* Prague and Budapest* Croatia's Dalmatian Coast* A Music Lover's EuropeDisc 6: Alpine SecretsRudy samples the diverse and delicious flavors of Bologna and Emilio-Romagna and heads for the hills and dramatic peaks and meadows of the Dolomite Mountains. Thrill to a heart-stopping gondola ride to alpine heights in the spectacular Lauterbrunnen Valley, and celebrate the joys of a Switzerland Christmas, where Christmas markets and toasty ski lodges offer good cheer.Extras: Rudy's Travel Tips, Fascinating Side TripsShows:* Bologna and Emilio-Romagna* Italy's Veneto and Dolomites* Switzerland and the Alps* Christmas in Switzerland

Great set of CDs on numerous places to visit in Europe. We feel Rudy Maxa takes you to some of the best places so you can plan your on tour of Europe. The CDs are are very good quality with many in HD. We would order again.These programs used to be shown on VOOM Netword under the Equator channel. Dish took VOOM off the air a few weeks ago. While we not able to watch all the previous segments on TV, that doen't matter since we can watch what we want when we want to.Rudy presents his travels in an interestign format, not too much history and not too much tourist stuff--just good information.

I gave my husband this dvd set for Father's Day. He's thoroughly enjoying them. We're going to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in October of 2008 and Spain in May of 2009. These dvds have a lot of very useful tips. They show almost all of the cities we'll be visiting.

This is a Great DVD Set but is Missing London, French Riviera, Austria, & Italy and should only be purchased as a supplement to the original series "Europe to the Max with Rudy Maxa" or "Best of Europe with Rudy Maxa"! Unfortunately there is no ultimate box set for Rudy Maxa on Europe as there is for Rick Steves'. Unfortunately the title of this dvd set suggests that this is the ultimate & newest set of the series and all you would need. However that is not the case. If you were to only buy this box set, you would be essentially missing out on the best of Europe! While this set shows more of France, touches on Spain, touches on Greece it should only be bought as a supplement if you have the original series. I recommend the more complete ultimate set of "Rick Steves' Europe: All 80 Shows 2000-2009" that is 13 DVD's long and doesn't miss anything. Otherwise, you will have to put together your own ultimate Maxa set with 2 box sets: "Europe to the Max with Rudy Maxa" & "Europe to the Max with Rudy Maxa - Return Trip". Unfortunately there will be some overlap between the sets and it still won't be as thorough as Rick Steves' set.