The Falkirk Wheel speeds up the locks along Scotland's spine while the nearby Kelpies recall Celtic lore and the horses that once towed canal barges. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

In Sicily's westernmost point, we visit workaday Trapani and remarkably preserved Erice, then eat our way through a classic Sicilian banquet. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

Rick samples ravioli in Verona, cheese galore in the Loire, Scottish duck in Edinburgh, creamy sauces in Rouen, and seafood from the Venetian lagoon. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

Enjoy the highlights of the Prado in Madrid, the Greco-filled Santa Cruz Museum in Toledo, Barcelona's Picasso Museum, and two key Dalí sights nearby. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

The crypt below Palermo's Capuchin monastery houses whole bodies the monks have preserved for centuries, as stark reminders of our shared mortality. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

For centuries, Canterbury — these days a lively college town with a charming medieval center — has welcomed crowds of pilgrims to its grand cathedral. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

Monster-peeping is hard to resist along Loch Ness, the largest of the lakes filling the vast fault line that slashes the Scottish Highlands in two. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

Orkney's main town of Kirkwall may be more practical than pretty, but the locals who stroll its pedestrian-only main drag all seem to know each other. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

In Lyon's traditional "bouchons" — small, simple bistros that date back to Lyon's silk-industry heyday — each dish is an adventure. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

With evocative Celtic forts, ruined monasteries, and other remnants of its rich ancient and early-Christian past, Ireland is like an open-air museum. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.