Traveling in flatlands like the Great Plains, you can get in touch with life in ways you just won't find up in the mountains.

The top of the world is like the Titanic moment, you know, we're on top of the world, we're bigger than the world, and I think being in the flatlands, you are of the world.

You are in a way smaller than it.

Hi, I'm Rick Steeves.

Coming up, we enjoy the endless horizons and the sweet small-scale attractions that the flat places of the earth can offer.

We also explore the issues that crop up for people from other countries

when they marry an American.

It's those small things that tend to remind us that we are still foreign to each other.

And guides from the former East Bloc tell us about places you can still visit that show what

life was like a generation ago during the Communist era in Eastern Europe.

And we're very proud of the fact that we didn't just put it behind and wanted to erase it

because I think it's something that we definitely have to show to the generations following us.

It's all just ahead on, Travel with Rick Steeves.

A lot of people travel with walls up. Bringing those walls down is what allows you to have those

moments where you truly connect with new people and cultures.

Rosetta Stone can help take down one of the biggest walls, the language barrier.

Rosetta Stone is fun to use, you learn fast and you can use it on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

For a special discount, go to Rosetta Stone.com slash Rick Steves.

Whether it's a prairie, an endless farmscape, or even a desert,

the flat places of Earth can offer you a lot more

than their reputation as flyover country suggests.

But you have to be willing to listen to what the land is trying to tell you.

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