Moonlight, wine, and history — with a Roman obelisk as a swizzle stick. That’s my way to cap a hard day of guidebook research updating Arles in the south of France.

I like the idea that a good guide can be dropped in any square in Europe and give an impromptu talk to inspire their travelers to love history: an ancient obelisk, a people's toilet, a Van Gogh sky, and a Romanesque tympanum…all woven into some happy travels.

Wine is an amazing value here — and if you wander around town with your romance pedal to the cultural metal after a glass or two, it gets even better. Trappy Havels!

(I’m in Europe for 100 days this spring and summer. Follow along at http://www.ricksteves.com/blog.)