/ Great Continental Railway Journeys. An attempt to make Portugal's national sweetmeat proves challenging, but help is at hand. Michael's journey ends with a spectacular ascent by train to Europe's highest station, perched atop Switzerland's dramatic Jungfraujoch. He then 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. Steered by his 1913 railway guide, Michael Portillo explores Germany, the powerhouse of today's European Union, and learns how tourists in the early 20th century would have been visiting quite a new country, which they admired and envied but also feared. Getting off the train at Montreux, the most genteel of Swiss resorts, I came across the statue of Igor Stravinsky. At Prague Central Station, Michael meets a woman who, as a young girl, travelled by train to safety in London. Inspired by the music and story of Poland's national icon Frederic Chopin, Michael takes to the floor to dance the polonaise with high school students rehearsing for their leavers' ball. Following in the footsteps of Bradshaw's travellers, Michael explores the cradle of the Renaissance through Edwardian eyes but learns in Florence that the tourists' 'Italietta' was far removed from the new Italy envisaged by the futurists of the time. Steered by his 1913 railway guide, today Michael journeys through a prosperous pre-war Europe of emperors, kings, pomp and elegance. Great Continental Railway Journeys: Dresden to Kiel: Part Two Great Continental Railway Journeys (2012) .
In his view they marred the gothic style, and can be dispensed with thanks to modern construction techniques. Jon Wygens is a multi-instrumentalist and award winning composer for film and television. In the ancient city of Plovdiv, Michael discovers a Roman amphitheatre built in the 2nd century AD and still in use today. In Vienna, Michael Portillo encounters a pre-Cold War spy and learns about the concert that caused a riot in 1913. He refers to a 1913 copy of Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, as he describes how the places he visits have changed since Edwardian times. The temperature varies from 33F to 66F. Its rhythms were primitive and its themes unmistakably sexual. The daring rail line, built in the late nineteenth century to haul oil across the Caucasus from Baku to Batumi reveals grand views from viaducts and passes through a 4km-long tunnel blasted through mountain rock. This first instalment (of six) took us from Salamanca to Canfranc, via vila, Madrid and Zaragoza, and provided its usual mix of travelogue, history and this time especially Who Do You Think You Are? 7.673. Please download one of our supported browsers. Armed with his 1913 Bradshaw, Michael Portillo explores a very different Spain from the one he knows best and ventures across its border with Britain's oldest ally, Portugal. The deeply shocking piece now has pride of place in the gallery of the Belvedere Palace, painted between 1907 and 1908 during his golden period. Season 2. Armed with his 1913 Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo ventures to the northernmost reaches of Europe. One newspaper commented that only Eric Morecambe was funnier. He samples the best of Swedish fika and takes an icy dip one of the countrys 96,000 lakes. As he embarks on a new series, Portillo selects some of his favourite trips and cultural highlights, drawn from the five series of railway journeys. The scenery was unrelentingly, heart-swellingly beautiful the golden sandstone of Salamanca; the best of Roman, Christian and Islamic art and architecture poured into Zaragoza; the enclosed medieval citadel of vila seemingly glowing with centuries of stored sunlight. Led by his 1913 railway guide, he then heads west via the picturesque Harz Mountains to the industrial Ruhr Valley to learn how imperial Germany was war ready. In Madrid, he visits the scene of an assaination attempt at the royal wedding of a British princess and a Spanish king. This episode offers beautiful views along the Rhine and also shows various cities in the area including Colonge and Koblenz. 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. In Bucharest, Romania's leading violinist, Alexandre Tomescu, introduces Michael Portillo to the music of his countrys greatest composer, George Enescu, in a private recital with his Stradivarius. 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. Armed with his 1913 railway guide, in the second part of his journey from London to Monte Carlo, Michael Portillo follows the most popular route of the Edwardian traveller through France. Research of a more sombre kind leads Michael to the roots of our modern welfare state in the work of an early 20th-century .
Great Continental Railway Journeys by Michael Portillo - Goodreads Coming back down to earth, Michael samples the amber wine of Georgia and learns about its role in Georgian national culture. In Graz, the former politician ventures underground at the Lurgrotte Caves to find out about a famous rescue operation of the past, then in Slovenia discovers how an earthquake in Ljubljana prompted its citizens to assert their national identity in architecture and art. Michael's journey begins in Sofia, where he discovers the then newly independent orthodox Christian nation, which had broken free of the decaying Ottoman Empire and found an ally in a British Prime Minister. In the vast port, Michael joins a pilot boat as it leads a supertanker to its berth. Great Continental Railway Journeys continues on Tuesdays 9pm BBC2.
. Michael Portillo follows in the footsteps of Edwardian travellers to trace a route recommended in his Bradshaw's guide, journeying from the heart of France to the Mediterranean coast. From the Grand Hotel, Europe, advertised in his Bradshaw's, Michael explores the beauty and history of St Petersburg, from the great Nevsky Prospekt to the magnificent Winter Palace with its Hermitage Museum, then rides the first railway ever built in Russia between the city and the Tsar's village - Tsarskoye Selo. On this leg Michael explores the once-great empire of Austria-Hungary, domain of the famous Habsburg monarchs. Unless Big Primary Colour has got something on you? No one would. 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. Michael Portillo uses George Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide to explore the dazzling cities of the pre-war Low Countries before tasting the delicacies of Brussels. In Cordoba, Michael dances with an unusual partner and enjoys all the fun of the feria. Heading to Bilbao, he explores the industrial ties between France and Spain and learns to cook a traditional Basque dish. Home. Braving the force of the Goettingen wind tunnel, Michael investigates the track where model trains are fired at up to 360km per hour. Michael Portillo sports a strikingly modern edition of his Bradshaws Continental Handbook, dated 1936. He then heads to Poznan and rides one of the few remaining steam-powered commuter trains, visits a factory in Wroclaw that manufactures car bodies for locomotives, and ends his journey in Krakow, where he takes a tour in an iconic vehicle of the communist era. The premise of each programme is that the presenter, typically a well-known figure from the arts or media, would make a journey by train, usually through a country or to a destination to which they had a personal connection. In Vienna, he encounters a pre-Cold War spy and hears for himself the concert that caused a riot in 1913. Show less. Gaud perished on the tracks, hit by a tram. Heading east to Avila, Michael overnights in a historic parador and learns how 1930s Spain positioned herself as a tourist destination. Go directly to shout page. In Tallinn, seasoned members of the Tallinn Ice Swimming Club introduce Michael to their sport. He pays homage to the genius of Barcelona's most famous architect and meets the man responsible for finishing off Antoni Gaudi's life's work. Jon studied at the National Film & Television School graduating with a Masters degree in composing for Film and Television and lives between London and Madrid. The first series is notable in that it featured the first television travelogue by comedian and comic actor Michael Palin ("Confessions of a Trainspotter"), who would go on to become as well known for his travel series (such as Pole to Pole and Sahara) as for his comedy. The new boulevard was a metaphor for the empire which, beneath a veneer of pomp, was dissolving into dozens of ethnicities. Moving south to the city of Arles, he learns how its light and the famous mistral drew artists from all over Europe. Michael Portillo, the treasury secretary with the curiously collapsed yet labile face and shoo-in for next Tory leader, lost the seat he had held comfortably five years before, to a Labour unknown, Stephen Twigg. This will follow Michael as he journeys from Berlin to Stuttgart, soaking up all of Germany's history. 8.6 (19) Rate. Boarding one of the narrowest gauge railways in the world, the Little Train of Pelion, Michael travels to the village of Milies, where he learns about the place of the Orthodox Church in Greek national life. Michael makes his movie debut. He then ends his journey as he arrives at the gaming tables in glamorous Monte Carlo. Leaving London behind, Michael follows the most popular route of the Edwardian traveller through France.
On track: Michael Portillo's Continental culture hot spots - BBC Michael Portillo, I said, seemed slimy . Michael begins in the port of Batumi on the dazzling Caucasian Riviera. Michael Portillo continues his railway adventure which takes him across the heart of Europe. I was reminded that the deference that propped up the empires was crumbling long before the first trench was dug. Honestly yellow jacket, purple shirt and tomato trousers comprised his opening outfit. Aboard the high-speed Sapsan to St Petersburg, Michael discovers the history behind the line, once the longest double-tracked railway in the world. [4] In Nuremberg, Portillo travels to the Zeppelin Field and learns more of the city's WW2 connection with Hitler and the Nazis. In Uppsala, he tours the historic university before boarding an exquisite steam train to Marielund, where he celebrates midsummer in true Abba style.
BBC's Great Continental Railway Journeys - Facebook Watch He discovers a nation fractured at the time by social tensions and regional loyalties, which today offers a rich diversity of cultures to delight the tourist. 2012-11-08. Arriving in Wroclaw, Michael heads for a giant train factory, where they continue to manufacture car bodies for locomotives today. At Goettingen University, Michael discovers two sides of student life at the turn of the 20th century - the duelling fraternities and the groundbreaking scientists, who laid the foundation for Germany's world-class transport technology today. In the spa of kings, Marienbad, now known as Marianske Lazne, Michael samples the sulphurous waters and wallows in peat and mud. Series 1 - Reversions: London to Monte Carlo (1), Series 1 - Reversions: London to Monte Carlo (2), Series 1 - Reversions: Hungary to Austria (1), Series 1 - Reversions: Hungary to Austria (2), Series 1 - Reversions: Amsterdam to Northern France (1), Series 1 - Reversions: Amsterdam to Northern France (2), Series 1 - Reversions: Berlin to the Rhein (1), Series 1 - Reversions: Berlin to the Rhein (2), Series 2 - Reversions: Madrid to Gibraltar (1), Series 2 - Reversions: Madrid to Gibraltar (2), Series 2 - Reversions: Turin to Venice (1), Series 2 - Reversions: Turin to Venice (2), Series 2 - Reversions: Dresden to Kiel (1), Series 2 - Reversions: Dresden to Kiel (2), Series 2 - Reversions: Copenhagen to Oslo (1), Series 2 - Reversions: Copenhagen to Oslo (2), Series 2 - Reversions: Prague to Munich (1), Series 2 - Reversions: Prague to Munich (2), Series 3 - Reversions: Tula to St Petersburg (1), Series 3 - Reversions: Tula to St Petersburg (2), Series 3 - Reversions: Rome to Taormina (1), Series 3 - Reversions: Rome to Taormina (2), Series 3 - Reversions: Warsaw to Krakow (1), Series 3 - Reversions: Warsaw to Krakow (2), Series 3 - Reversions: La Coruna to Lisbon (1), Series 3 - Reversions: La Coruna to Lisbon (2), Series 3 - Reversions: Lyon to Marseille (1), Series 3 - Reversions: Lyon to Marseille (2), Series 4 - Reversions: Sofia To Istanbul (1), Series 4 - Reversions: Sofia To Istanbul (2), Series 4 - Reversions: Vienna to Trieste (1), Series 4 - Reversions: Vienna to Trieste (2), Series 4 - Reversions: Pisa to Lake Garda (1), Series 4 - Reversions: Pisa to Lake Garda (2), Series 4 - Reversions: Athens to Thessaloniki (1), Series 4 - Reversions: Athens to Thessaloniki (2), Series 4 - Reversions: The Black Forest to Hannover (1), Series 4 - Reversions: The Black Forest to Hannover (2), Series 5 - Reversions: Transylvania to the Black Sea (1), Series 5 - Reversions: Transylvania to the Black Sea (2), Series 5 - Reversions: Zermatt to Geneva (1), Series 5 - Reversions: Zermatt to Geneva (2), Series 5 - Reversions: Genoa to Brenner Pass (1), Series 5 - Reversions: Genoa to Brenner Pass (2), Series 5 - Reversions: The Netherlands (1), Series 5 - Reversions: The Netherlands (2), Series 6 - Reversions - Kiev to Odessa (1), Series 6 - Reversions - Kiev to Odessa (2), Series 6 - Reversions - Batumi to Baku (1), Series 6 - Reversions - Batumi to Baku (2), Series 7 - Shortened Versions: Episode 10. His destination lies close to his heart: the ancient kingdom of Spain and land of his father.
Production of a second series included filming in Spain and Gibraltar in May and June 2013, following the RondaAlgeciras railway line, built in the 1890s by British interests under the Algeciras Gibraltar Railway Company, for the benefit of British officers stationed in Gibraltar wanting to travel to Spain and the rest of Europe. At the time of his guidebook it was a magnificent terminus, but today it stands ruined and derelict. Michael Portillo follows in the footsteps of Edwardian travellers to trace a route recommended in his Bradshaw's guide from the heart of France to the Mediterranean coast. Michael Portillo, the treasury secretary with the curiously collapsed yet labile face and shoo-in for next Tory leader, lost the seat he had held comfortably five years before, to a Labour unknown, Stephen Twigg. 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.