Rick talks with tour guide Julie Sonveau about two medieval-style castles under construction in present-day France and Arkansas.

Rick quizzes Frenchman Patrick Vidal on the habits and psychology of the French who can sometimes baffle American tourists.

Francophile and tour guide Steve Smith, who has led thousands of American travelers through France, chats with Rick about how to become comfortable with France's rich civilization without being frustrated by cultural misunderstandings.

Three French tour guides discuss the pleasures of taking a vacation on a canal barge in rural France. They explain the history of barge travel and the logistics of renting a barge yourself.

The captain of a passenger barge based in Burgundy discusses the fine art of cruising France's intimate network of canals and how to plan a vacation on your own "floating hotel."

Rick talks with French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, who wrote "American Vertigo: A Journey in the Footsteps of Toqueville," a book about our country's cultural identity, patriotism, and the creed that holds us together as a nation.

Rick continues his conversation with Bernard-Henri Lévy about his book, "American Vertigo: A Journey in the Footsteps of Toqueville," discussing what Lévy learned from traveling across the United States for nearly a year to research his book.

Tour guides from Brittany share tips for a road trip through the villages and battle sites in northwestern France.

Rick talks with Patrick Noel, a French-Irish tour guide, who illuminates the surprising connections between France and Ireland dating back to Celtic times.

This conversation with two native-born French tour guides, based in opposite corners of the country, provides an insider's guide to France and its culture.