Michael travels through Austria and the Czech Republic, exploring a dark era in history. Great Train Journeys: 'Palermo To Mount Etna' In Sicily, Italy (BBC In Lund, he samples a Smorgasbord before having a Highland fling in Gothenburg, where he test drives a vintage Volvo. Arriving in Wroclaw, Michael heads for a giant train factory, where they continue to manufacture car bodies for locomotives today. Exploring the Acropolis and delighting in the tastes of moussaka and baklava, Michael discovers the many influences at play in the creation of modern Greece - from its classical past to the oriental Ottomans and the great European powers of Britain, France and Russia. In a vast stadium, Michael hears how new rail lines were constructed to transport crowds of spectators to the Nazi Olympic Games of 1936. 253 pages : 25 cm. Great Continental Railway Journeys: With Michael Portillo, Andrew Martin, Mitch Waite, Clive Lamming. In high spirits, with the help of the local liquor, Michael says 'Nosdraviya' to Slovenia and heads south. But whilst the facades are beautiful, behind the buildings were cheaply constructed warrens. Will four-year-old puppy Easy rise to the challenge? Season 2. At the time of his guidebook it was a magnificent terminus, but today it stands ruined and derelict. great australian railway journeys dvd release date This early 20th-century handbook opened up an exotic world to the Edwardian tourist. On this leg he heads for the glorious Alps and learns how astonishing engineering feats conquered the most challenging peaks before taking in the striking beauty of Lake Lucerne. The latest series of his travelogue sees the politician-turned-presenter delve into his fathers life in Spain. Backstage at the legendary Folies Bergere, Michael asks the 'enfant terrible' of fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier, about his homage to the black American dancer, Josephine Baker, and goes backstage to meet the stars of the show. Show less. Season 1. In Delphi, he discovers how at the turn of the 20th century an entire village was removed in order to excavate the site of the oracle. Arriving in Italy at the empire's southern port of Trieste, Michael savours the imported coffee which fuelled the cafe culture of its elegant capital, Vienna. Michael Portillo continues his railway adventure which takes him across the heart of Europe. In Bologna, he embarks on a doomed search for spaghetti bolognese - until a cookery teacher takes pity on him and shows him how to make a much more authentic tagliatelle al ragu. GREAT CONTINENTAL RAILWAY JOURNEYS: Series One At the Bolshoi Theatre, Michael performs an important role in one of Russia's most dramatic operas. When The Rite of Spring premiered, there was pandemonium. Heading north to Gargnano, Michael discovers the romantic hideaway of one of Britain's most famous writers, DH Lawrence, whose affair with his professor's wife scandalised his home country. Prague to Munich. Unless Big Primary Colour has got something on you? Heading further into Andalusia, Michael arrives in Seville, the city he has made his Spanish home. [6] This series relied on narrators rather than presenters who appeared on camera. He savours the soul of Georgia in its wine and discovers a surprise 19th-century tea plantation in the West Georgian countryside. With his Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide in hand, Michael Portillo ventures east through Romania. Beginning in Galicia, Michael discovers the elegant city of La Coruna, a fashionable destination for Edwardian Britons, for whom the principal attraction was the tomb of a British military hero. Arriving in Tbilisi Michael is struck by the warm welcome of Georgians and is invited to a wedding, where he experiences the legendary feast, known as a supra. Hard on their heels in Madrid, he visits the scene of a grim assassination attempt at the royal wedding of a British princess and a Spanish king. Radio Times Travel offers. Watch Great Continental Railway Journeys All-Seasons Stream Online Free Michael continues his rail journey through Spain with his 1930s Bradshaws guide. In Bologna, he embarks on a doomed search for spaghetti Bolognese until a cookery teacher shows him how to make a much more authentic tagliatelle al ragu. An excursion to a nearby bathing resort popular at the time of his guide and during Soviet times leads Michael to a hydropathic establishment where he braves an intimate massage in warm mud. And there was a mercifully brief attempt at learning a few steps from the Aragonese folk dance la jota, but, for the most part, he stuck to limning Spains history and detailing the horrors of the civil war. English musician and sound artist Chris Watson worked as an audio recorder for the fourth episode "Los Mochis to Veracruz" of the fourth season. He visits the beautiful country estate of Yasnaya Polyana, where Tolstoy wrote his masterpieces, and learns how the author's life and works were inextricably entwined with the railways. With his 1913 Bradshaw's in hand, Michael Portillo journeys deep into central Europe to explore a country where east meets west: Poland. In a vast stadium in Berlin, Michael hears how new rail lines were constructed to transport crowds of spectators to the Nazi Olympic Games in 1936. The point of no return came at 3.10am with a return no one had been expecting. An attempt to make Portugal's national sweetmeat proves challenging, but help is at hand. Michael takes a spin around the track at Le Mans in a French-built car, which won two endurance races during the 1920s. Heading north to Gargnano, Michael discovers the romantic hideaway of one of Britain's most famous writers, DH Lawrence, whose affair with his professor's wife scandalised his home country. Michael boards an early 20th-century yacht to experience the thrill for himself and learns how British yachtsmen spied on the German navy. From Tallinn, Michael crosses the Baltic Sea by ferry to Helsinki, where he discovers the music of the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and learns how his masterpiece Finlandia spurred Finns towards independence. Following in the footsteps of early 20th-century British tourists, Michael tours this compact country, which boasted a mighty navy and a global empire to rival that of Britain. Along the way, Michael discovers the parlous state of Greek finances at the time of his guidebook. After sipping sherry in Jerez, he traces Winston Churchill's tense diplomatic mission to Algeciras on Spain's Costa del Sol and finishes with tales of British espionage on the Rock of Gibraltar. Great Canadian Railway Journeys - Wikipedia He travels to Leipzig on a historic railway line, built by British engineers in 1839. Title screen for most episodes from Series 2 onward. At the Skoda factory in Pilsen he investigates how the machine products of peacetime gave way to the manufacture of armaments for war and test drives a state of the art passenger train locomotive made there today. In one of the areas elegant cafes, Michael learns about dada and the avant garde during the Crazy Years after the First World War. Michael Portillo travels from the chateaux of the Loire Valley to the heart of the Champagne region at Reims. Michael Portillo travels to Spain, the country his father fled during the bloody civil war. Great Continental Railway Journeys: Dresden to Kiel: Part Two Armed with his 1913 Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide Michael Portillo resumes his rail journey through the former Russian empire from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, taking in present-day Georgia and Azerbaijan. Season 7. Arriving in Munich, he finds a blue horse created at the time of his guidebook and discovers an early 20th-century pioneer who laid the foundations for the city's pre-eminence in science and technology today. In the British Isles uncover a country once connected entirely by steam, now enjoying stunning heritage rails as a tourist experience, and in America, the country once built on the back of railroads, enjoy the epic adventures that can take you from sea to shining sea. Jon Wygens is a multi-instrumentalist and award winning composer for film and television. In some cases, the narrator did not partake in the train journey, and simply recited the writing of that episode's producer. After arriving in the German capital, Berlin, Portillo is reminded of its turbulent past. Striking south to historic Cordoba, Michael dances with an unusual partner and enjoys all the fun of the feria. Not so, as culture also has a part to play. Michael Portillos 1936 Bradshaws Continental Railways Guide brings him to the Italian 'treasure island' of Sicily, full of natural beauty and 'scenery of the greatest charm'. Armed with his 1913 railway guide, Michael Portillo returns to his native Spain to discover what the intrepid tourists of the Belle Epoque experienced on their travels through the fading Spanish empire. He encounters a bloodsucking vampire in Transylvania and brown bears in the Carpathian forest before visiting a fairy tale castle with modern conveniences in Sinaia, striking oil in Ploesti. Great British Railway Journeys, an Album by Jon Wygens. Michael Portillo travels on the great train routes of E >. "Chief Minister is Interviewed for Popular BBC Show", "UNESCO World Heritage Sites Thuringia", Article by Michael Portillo - 25 Oct 2013, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Continental_Railway_Journeys&oldid=1132138884, 2010s British documentary television series, 2020s British documentary television series, Documentary television series about railway transport, Television shows set in the Czech Republic, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The assassination attempt at the royal wedding of the British princess, One of the world's oldest roller-coasters in Copenhagen's. From Tbilisi Michael takes a trip along the 120-mile Georgian Military Road, built by the colonising Russian army in the early nineteenth century. In Ploesti, he helps out in the world's first oil refinery and at Sinaia, he discovers a fairy tale castle with the most modern conveniences. He then travels south along the tourist trail of the castle-studded Rhein river and ends his journey in the Rheingau to taste the wines of its age old vineyards. East of Paris, in Champagne country, Michael finishes his journey in style with a tour of the cellars at Domaine Pommery and a glass of fizz with the owner. Michael meets her modern-day incarnation. His idiosyncratic style strikes us as boldly modern a century later, but his building is in essence a gothic cathedral stripped of the buttresses. I joined in. In Versailles, Michael visits the opulent palace and neighbouring Trianon Palace hotel, where his Bradshaws describes the signing of the Peace Treaty at the end of the First World War. First is the pull of home "When you're 10,000 miles from Rome you stir extra care into your sauce," as Gianni Pisoni of Greenvale in Melbourne puts it. At a time of imperial plumes and white tie balls, it celebrated raw savagery. It detailed railway journeys in mainland Europe, following a 1913 Bradshaw's guide to European rail travel. The point of no return came at 3.10am with a return no one had been expecting. Michael uncovers the Celtic roots of the Galician people and tries to master the bagpipes but finds himself upstaged by a six-year-old. Ever keen to try his hand, Michael takes instruction from a top chef on how to make an omelette, but his efforts fail to impress. Striking north, Michael boards the long distance train which runs from the Caspian Sea to the capital. Bram Stoker had never visited Bran Castle, home of the fearsome Vlad the Impaler when he wrote Dracula, but he studied images in the British Library carefully enough to describe it well. From the from the Italian Riviera to the Austrian Alps Michael visits remote villages of the Cinque Terre he then heads to Parma next up is the Alps stopping off in Rovereto he ends his trip at the Brenner Pass home to on of the world's longest rail tunnels. Michael Portillo ventures once more on to the European rail network to retrace journeys featured in George Bradshaw's 1913 publication Continental Guide, beginning by travelling through Russia. Following in the footsteps of Bradshaw's travellers, Michael explores the cradle of the Renaissance through Edwardian eyes. Michael takes the helm to explore the port of Siracusa by boat and enjoys a sumptuous picnic of Sicilian specialities before visiting a controversial monument, which depicts a dark chapter in Italian history. Great Continental Railway Journeys Altadefinizione Stagione 6 Episodio Skirting disputed Georgian territory occupied by Russians today, Michael discovers that a Briton was the first to conquer the highest mountain in the Caucasus range. In GREAT CONTINENTAL RAILWAY JOURNEYS, British broadcaster and journalist Michael Portillo travels on the great train routes . Special dispensation to fly to the Balearic island of Mallorca allows Michael to spoil himself rotten with spectacularly scenic rides aboard a sublime 1912 vintage railway and a 1913 tram. To hear the story, Michael hitches a ride in the famous marque's most modern counterpart, a gleaming new convertible Dawn. Forsaking the saddle, Michael takes to the skies and pilots a light aircraft as he learns of one of France's pioneering aviators. Choo choo! The creepy genius of Michael Portillo's railway shows 8.6 (19) Rate. The temperature varies from 33F to 66F. A glass of 1953 port awaits him at the city's Factory House, before he embarks on the Linha da Douro along the spectacular Douro Valley. Michael Portillo's 1936 Bradshaw's Guide brings him to the Italian 'treasure island' of Sicily, full of natural beauty and 'scenery of the greatest charm'. But 1936 was a turbulent time in Spain, with political upheaval descending into a brutal civil war. And he discovers a beautiful art nouveau Palace of Music with an emotional history. Without access to a smartphone, though, I had to wait until the morning to find out precisely why. Without Guernica, said Portillo to the art historian who had talked him through what could legitimately be considered to be the greatest, most harrowing painting of the 20th century, they would never have met. There was a pause. At the Skoda factory in Pilsen he investigates how the machine products of peacetime gave way to the manufacture of armaments for war and test drives a state of the art passenger train locomotive made there today. Indeed, in the "tragic week" in July/August 1909 perhaps 150 were shot by the army during protests organised by socialists and anarchists. Michael Portillo uses his Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Guidebook to undertake the second leg of his journey through Italy from the Riviera to the Alps. The dance is complicated and long, and wearing turquoise trousers with a hat that repeatedly slipped from my head, I cut a poor figure. Armed with his 1913 Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a Greek odyssey from Athens's port of Piraeus north to the city of Thessaloniki, captured the year before from the Ottoman Turks, who had ruled much of Greece for 400 years. He learns how an aristocratic English poet became a Greek national hero and relives Greek athletic victory at the first modern Olympic games. Following in the footsteps of King Edward VII, who visited his cousin King Carlos in 1903, Michael explores the city from the Santa Justa lift to the harbour at Belem. The first series, which used the longer title, was broadcast on BBC2 in 1980. They just have to make sure Portillo and the sartorial choices I suspect someone must once have assured him add a cheery charm to his overwhelming urbanity stand well enough to the side. In Uppsala, he tours the historic university before boarding an exquisite steam train to Marielund, where he celebrates midsummer in true Abba style. BBC Two Great Continental Railway Journeys Home Episodes Clips Michael Portillo travels on the great train routes of Europe, as he retraces the journeys featured in George Bradshaw's 1913. In Salamanca, the millions of records kept by Franco on his potential enemies a potent symbol of the scale of the nationalist movement and atrocities committed, and potentially a window into our own increasingly surveilled and right-moving state were paid lip service before Portillo homed in on that of his father. After braving one of the world's oldest rollercoasters in Copenhagen's famous Tivoli Gardens, Michael takes the train across the Oresund Bridge linking Denmark to Sweden, where he retraces the tracks of a train which carried a revolutionary Russian passenger on an epic voyage. Michael's journey takes him through a patchwork of nations which a century ago formed part of the Austro Hungarian empire. Forsaking the saddle, Michael takes to the skies and pilots a light aircraft as he learns of one of France's pioneering aviators.