Boarding the fast train to Lviv, Michael reads in his Bradshaw that the city was formerly known as Lemberg and at the time of his guidebook it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 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. The Atlantic coast of France and Spain, Bordeaux, claret, trams. 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. Similar series were broadcast in 1983, Great Little Railways, and 2010, Great British Railway Journeys. 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. 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. 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. He then travels the Habsburg imperial line across the Semmering Pass, a line blasted through the Alps. He learns how an aristocratic English poet became a Greek national hero and relives Greek athletic victory at the first modern Olympic games. His journey begins in Lyon, where he learns how the city got its gastronomic reputation, and takes instruction from a leading chef on making an omelette. At the birthplace of Germanys first democracy, Weimar, Michael investigates the beginning of Bauhaus design and visits the movements first building, a family house encapsulating a vision of how people might live in the 20th century. In Delft, Michael learns how the city came to specialise in pottery and finds out the secrets of its success. He begins in the truly international city of Basel and travels east to visit industrial Zurich. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. Forsaking the saddle, Michael takes to the skies and pilots a light aircraft as he learns of one of France's pioneering aviators. Michael goes to the movies in Potsdam and discovers the success of the Babelsberg Studios, where directors such as Fritz Lang and stars such as Marlene Dietrich worked. Relax. Number of seasons: 7 Number of episodes: 37. At Belorussky Station in Moscow, Michael hears how thousands of Russians journeyed to the capital in 1913 to mark the Romanov royal family's tercentenary year. Michael Portillo sports a modern edition of his Bradshaw's Handbook as he heads for Spain. In Verona, Michael discovers the 'House of the Capulets', bought to attract Edwardian tourists to the scene of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Your current browser isn't compatible with SoundCloud. Michael meets her modern-day incarnation. At a private museum dedicated to the life of the most infamous Georgian, Joseph Stalin, Michael asks how Georgians today feel about the former dictator of the Soviet Union. In this borderland where Europe meets Asia, Michael crosses swords with Cossacks, learns the secrets of Ukrainian cuisine and gets down and dirty in a mud spa. Michael Portillo travels from the chateaux of the Loire Valley to the heart of the Champagne region at Reims. 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. Armed with his 1913 railway guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a journey from the Swiss Alps to the shores of Lake Geneva. Steered by his 1913 railway guide, Michael journeys through a prosperous prewar Europe of emperors, kings, pomp and elegance. At the Palais de la Bourse, Michael hears how, at the time of his guide, the city was still reeling from the assassination of the country's president and how a shocked French nation rallied in support of the Third Republic. Great British Railway Journeys - Season 9 Episode 12. Javascript is required to view shouts on this page. With his 1913 guidebook in hand, he discovers in Tangier how this once proudly independent nation fell under the control of the French as rival European powers scrambled to extend their empires in Africa. 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. 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. BBC Two - Great Continental Railway Journeys He savours the soul of Georgia in its wine and discovers a surprise 19th-century tea plantation in the West Georgian countryside. Described by the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians as "probably the first ever railway song", Glinka's express Travelling Song is a . 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. 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. Over the border in the former imperial territory of Slovenia, Michael discovers how an earthquake in Ljubljana encouraged its citizens to assert their national identity in architecture and art. Its rhythms were primitive and its themes unmistakably sexual. Michael Portillo embarks on a railway adventure which takes him across the heart of Europe. Michael Portillo continues his railway adventure which takes him across the heart of Europe. The painter Gustav Klimt seemed to mock the stiff morality of the establishment with his painting The Kiss. Steered by his 1913 railway guide, today Michael journeys through a prosperous pre-war Europe of emperors, kings, pomp and elegance. Presenter: Michael Portillo, Executive Producer: John Comerford, Series Producer: Alison Kreps, Production Company: Boundless Productions. Michael, mate youre a Tory on a jolly. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. In Avignon, Michael savours the scent of Provence in the region's lavender fields before relaxing with a glass of the city's famous tipple, Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Fingers crossed there will be no more . Great Continental Railway Journeys Michael Portillo travels on the great train routes of Europe, as he retraces the journeys featured in George Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway. Michaels final stop is on the border with France, at Canfranc Station. His idiosyncratic style strikes us as boldly modern a century later, but his building is in essence a gothic cathedral stripped of the buttresses. Michael takes a spin around the track at Le Mans in a French-built car, which won two endurance races during the 1920s. 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. Without access to a smartphone, though, I had to wait until the morning to find out precisely why. In Stockholm, Michael braves a precarious tour of the city from its rooftops, before boarding a heritage tram to get the lowdown on 1930s Sweden from an expert. North of Helsinki, in Tampere, Michael takes to the water again to explore one of Finland's 180,000 lakes. He visits the Reichstag and the city's Olympic stadium, site of the 1936 Summer Olympics. Heading further into Andalusia, Michael arrives in Seville, the city he has made his Spanish home, and where, in the city's tobacco factory, he learns about a gypsy girl named Carmen. Michael discovers how the leaning tower of Pisa was rescued from near collapse. BBC's Great Continental Railway Journeys "Switzerland" S01E04 In Palermo, Michael takes in the art and architecture of the Futurists and feasts on spaghetti and sardines in the citys Ballaro market. 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? The third episode of Great Continental Railway Journeys series 7 will return to its usual slot come Wednesday, August 19th. He then ends his journey as he arrives at the gaming tables in glamorous Monte Carlo. All seven of the 1980 Series 1 programs, including Palin's Confessions of a Train Spotter, were released in 1986 in cooperation with the BBC on VHS tapes by Pentrex, a California railroad video company. Striking south to historic Cordoba, Michael dances with an unusual partner and enjoys all the fun of the feria. 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. Show less. 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. Michael ends his journey in Thessaloniki where, in 1913, Greece's King George I was assassinated. Similarly, his main comment when standing before Picassos Guernica in Madrid was that without that event the bombing of civilians by Nazi and fascist troops that drew worldwide outrage Michael would never have existed. Without access to a smartphone, though, I had to wait until the morning to find out precisely why. Jon Wygens is a multi-instrumentalist and award winning composer for film and television. After a picnic of chewy dried fish and beer on board a Soviet-era train, Michael arrives in Estonia where, in the magical setting of a ruined 13th-century cathedral, he hears a choir sing the nation's most important song and learns how, more recently, the Baltic countries demonstrated their desire for independence from the Soviet Union with a Singing Revolution. , tracks: Crossing the border from Bohemia to Bavaria, Michael encounters a fire breathing dragon in Furth-im-Wald and in Nuremberg he rides German railway history - made in Britain. He encounters mummified monks in a medieval monastery and works out alongside two of the strongest women in the world. Season 2. His first stop is Paris where he absorbs the atmosphere of La Belle poque, before travelling south to the Cote d'Azur. Michael Portillo travels by rail throughout Continental Europe. Travelling through what was, at the turn of the 20th century, one of Europe's youngest nations, Michael sinks his teeth into a Victorian gothic best seller and uncovers an unlikely fellow fan of his Bradshaw's. But workers unhappy with their lot were rebelling. 8.6 (19) Rate. Michael celebrates Midsummer in Marielund, learns to decorate a Dala horse in Mora and takes an icy dip in one of the countrys 96,000 lakes. With his 1913 guidebook in hand, Michael Portillo explores the stunning art nouveau architecture of the Czech capital. On his travels, he is trampled underfoot at the bottom of a Catalan people steeple and learns to make the perfect paella. In Brunswick, he learns how the arrival of the railway added its own flavour to the local beer before moving on to Hamburg, where he discovers model railway making on the grandest of scales. In Baku, Michael explores the thousand-year-old walled quarter and is treated to a thrilling display of Chovgan, the national horseback game of Azerbaijan. The highlight of the trip for me was to be given a private recital by the great Romanian violinist Alexandru Tomescu, playing music by George Enescu, a composer who was coming of age as Romania gained its freedom from the Habsburg empire, and who celebrated his country's folk tradition. Sorry, comments are closed for this item. Along the way, Michael discovers the parlous state of Greek finances at the time of his guidebook. Great British Railway Journeys soundtrack - Last.fm Gaud perished on the tracks, hit by a tram. Steered by his 1913 railway guide, Michael journeys through a prosperous pre-war Europe of emperors, kings, pomp and elegance. About sixty singers and dancers gave a magnificent performance in astrakhan hats and colourful waistcoats and bodices. The drama of the interwar period comes to life in front of Michaels eyes as he joins six characters in search of an author at the Teatro Pirandello. A fourth series aired in January 2013, also with 25 episodes, with the last five episodes focused again on railways in Ireland. He learns how an aristocratic English poet became a Greek national hero and relives Greek athletic victory at the first modern Olympic games. Great Continental Railway Journeys, written by Michael Portillo, was published by Simon & Schuster UK in October 2015.[5]. [6] This series relied on narrators rather than presenters who appeared on camera. Crossing the border again into Norway, Michael discovers how in 1913 this young nation expressed its own distinctively modern identity in plays, paintings and polar exploration. The fourth series aired in 2015. 7.673. Armed with his trusty 1913 Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo travels east through the Balkans along the most exotic section of the route taken by the Orient Express. With Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide in hand, Michael Portillo ventures east through Romania. Similar series were broadcast in 1983, Great Little Railways, and 2010, Great British Railway Journeys . Some user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. GREAT CONTINENTAL RAILWAY JOURNEYS: Series One Michael embarks on a rail journey through Germany, steered by a Bradshaws Continental Railway Guide published in 1936. Arriving in Naples, Michael savours spectacular views across the bay. List of all seasons: Season 1. Back in the city again, Michael meets former Russia correspondent Martin Sixsmith to discover how the strikes, mutinies and massacres, which took place shortly before Bradshaw's 1913 guidebook was published, were to unfold and the part the railways were to play in those tumultuous events. Armed with his 1913 railway guide, Michael Portillo travels the Habsburg imperial line from Vienna across the awe-inspiring Semmering Pass, a handmade railway line blasted through the Alps. 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. Outside the city he crosses swords with Cossack warriors and gains an insight into Ukrainians' national identity. Michael Portillo continues his railway adventure which takes him across the heart of Europe. At a time of imperial plumes and white tie balls, it celebrated raw savagery. Michael makes a scenic journey from Stockholm to Abisko. Michael discovers from a British engineer how the leaning tower of Pisa was rescued from near collapse. In 2020, the BBC made series 2 available on the BBC iPlayer. Put some tweed and some Churchs brogues on and relax. Leaving London behind, Michael follows the most popular route of the Edwardian traveller through France. Heading to Bilbao, he explores the industrial ties between France and Spain and learns to cook a traditional Basque dish . Armed with his trusty copy of Bradshaw's 1913 edition of the Continental Railway Guide, the elegantly attired MICHAEL PORTILLO continues to criss-cross the Continent leaving, it seems, no fascinating city unvisited. His journey begins in the capital of cuisine, Lyon, where he finds out about the early 20th-century Meres Lyonnaises, to whom the city owes its gastronomic reputation. Give Peace a Chance Another anthem for peace, and a damn good song in its own right. Among its cobbled streets and classical buildings Michael discovers the seeds of Ukrainian nationalism in song. Michael begins an emotional rail journey that takes him deep into his familys past and reveals the tentacles of the regime which forced his father into exile. On the island, Michael finds out about apocalyptic scenes at Messina only five years prior to publication of his guidebook and marvels at the survival - and beauty - of the ancient hilltop town of Taormina, in the shadow of Mount Etna. A romantic stop at the ruined Schloss in Heidelberg follows before Michael gets an insider's guide to share dealing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. We dont have any upcoming events for this artist right now. 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. At Asilah, Michael lends a hand with the construction of Morocco's new 3 billion high-speed railway line to Casablanca. The overnight service from Tbilisi to Baku delivers Michael to Azerbaijan, the so-called 'land of fire' because of the natural gas which seeps from the ground and ignites the hills. In the spa of kings, Marienbad, now known as Marianske Lazne, Michael samples the sulphurous waters and wallows in peat and mud. 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. Along the way, Michael discovers the parlous state of Greek finances at the time of his guidebook. 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. The title Great Continental Railway Journeys has led some to believe that the series is designed solely for train spotters. Please download one of our supported browsers. Armed with his 1913 Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo ventures to the northernmost reaches of Europe. 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. With his 1913 Bradshaw's in hand, Michael Portillo ventures deep into the Black Forest on a quest to discover the essence of Germany and discovers how Hansel and Gretel helped to unify the nation. He will end his epic journey in the forest of Compiegne to hear how, after four years of conflict, the Armistice was finally signed in a railway carriage. The temperature varies from 33F to 66F. Back in the city again, Michael meets former Russia correspondent Martin Sixsmith to discover how the strikes, mutinies and massacres, which took place shortly before Bradshaw's 1913 guidebook was published, were to unfold and the part the railways were to play in those tumultuous events. Bordeaux to Bilbao. The night soil man told me as I emptied my chamberpot, I seem to recall. His final stop is the industrial city of Stuttgart, where he visits the Porsche factory and learns of the origin of the Volkswagen Beetle. The Flying Scotsman Michael concludes his Sicilian journey on the circular railway around Mount Etna, aboard the sleek, futurist-inspired train inaugurated by Mussolini in 1937, La Littorina. Michael explores Sicilian life under the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini. A hundred years ago, Latvia, Estonia and Finland were part of the Russian Tsar's vast empire but, as Michael discovers, each country had a vibrant identity and culture of its own. No one would. Using his 1913 railway guide, in the second part of his journey through the low countries and France, Michael Portillo travels to the French sector of the Western Front, where from 1914, the trains carried a new cargo of artillery shells, and the Edwardian tourists of 1913 were replaced by soldiers, facing the horrors of the trenches. Athens to Thessaloniki Having spent between five weeks to a month on the train, Watson used field recordings of the journey for his 2011 album El Tren Fantasma.[1][2][3]. Watch Great British Railway Journeys Season 9 Episode: 12 Stream Online Season 2. He then heads over the rail bridge across the lagoon to Venice, where he finds a microcosm of pre-First World War Europe in the Venice Biennale art exhibition. From 2012, BBC Two has also broadcast series of Great Continental Railway Journeys, a documentary with the same idea as Great British Railway Journeys, also presented by Portillo. 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. Starting in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, he travels via Bratislava in Slovakia to the beautiful and elegant city of Vienna, where he immerses himself in pre-war decadence. 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. Michael Portillo heads for the Netherlands, where he roots around the world's largest flower auction in Haarlem, operates a crane in Europe's largest container port, Rotterdam, and investigates Amsterdam's famous red-light district. Beginning in Warsaw, Michael is puzzled by how a city famously razed to the ground after the Second World War can appear so beautifully preserved. His journey ends at the gateway to the former French empire, Marseilles. Armed with his 1913 railway guide, Michael Portillo explores Scandinavia and discovers the royal roots of early 20th century British travellers' close dynastic ties with the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway. 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. The first series was originally broadcast on BBC Two in 2012. After visiting Potsdam, he explores Weimar in central Germany, a city that has twelve buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage list. There he wrote music that posed a threat to the established order as surely as Bolshevism. 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. Steered by his Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo continues his journey through Romania, tapping into the nation's musical soul in Bucharest and loading cargo from a 100-foot crane in Constanta. I was drawn to it because when Jonathan Harker first encounters the vampire he is reading "of all things an English Bradshaw's guide" (studying the timetable between Whitby and King's Cross, the line that will carry Draculas coffins of earth!). 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 Continental Railway Journeys, Portillo, Michael, Used; Good Book In his view they marred the gothic style, and can be dispensed with thanks to modern construction techniques. In Tallinn, seasoned members of the Tallinn Ice Swimming Club introduce Michael to their sport. Michael Portillo embarks on a rail journey through Germany. With his 1913 guidebook in hand, Michael Portillo explores the stunning art nouveau architecture of the Czech capital. He learns from the buffet car cooks how to prepare a supper of meat-filled dumplings - Dagestani specialities called pylmeni. His father fled to Oxford and got to know his future wife, who was looking after refugee children. Stream Jon Wygens Film and Television Composer music - SoundCloud Riga to Tampere Steered by his Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo heads for the Netherlands, where he operates a crane in Europe's largest container port in Rotterdam, and experiences the power of Kinderdijk's picturesque windmills. With Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide in hand, Michael Portillo penetrates the eastern extreme of Europe to journey through the vast country of Russia. Great British Railway Journeys, an Album by Jon Wygens. Great Continental Railway Journeys Staffel:6 Stream Deutsch PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MOTIVATE :)Support me here : https://www.paypal.me/CSinha7This Will Enable me to Optimize my Creative Production to Showcase Journeys of. At Coimbra, Michael is moved by the mournful strains of the fado sung by students of the university, then boards the high-speed train to the Portuguese capital Lisbon. -Great Continental Railway Journeys - Season 2. He finds out about the first railway to be built in the country, from Naples to Portici, around the base of Vesuvius and then plucks up his courage to venture into the mighty volcano's crater. Glinka: Travelling Song (The Train Song), 1840. Striking south to historic Cordoba, Michael dances with an unusual partner and enjoys all the fun of the feria. Arriving in Istanbul, Michael orients himself with a boat trip on the Bosphorus, samples some Turkish delight and crosses from Europe to Asia on the Marmaray metro line which now joins the two continents. 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. Michael learns how diplomacy brought Britain and Spain closer together and rides on a hair-raising scenic railway. Michael's journey through the Balkans - the powder keg of Europe - follows the route of the historic Orient Express. Michael is in his element in The Hague as he discovers the beautiful government buildings known as the Binnenhof and begins to understand the origins of the Netherlands' famous reputation for tolerance. Copyright 2023 Ravel-Chapuis Music Library, Great Continental Railway Journeys (BBC2). 6 / 6 Michael Portillo samples the delights of the French and Spanish Atlantic coast. Now he embarks on the sixth series of Great Continental Railway Journeys (BBC Two), beginning in Spain and this time guided by the 1936 edition of Bradshaws Continental Railway Guide, which was a big year in that particular pais and for Portillos pa, a don and leftwing activist at the University of Salamanca, who was three years away from needing to flee Franco. 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. I joined in. Its a heady journey, although a tweed jacket wouldnt go amiss. Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide in hand, Michael Portillo makes a grand tour of a favourite Edwardian destination - Italy - where he experiences first-hand the nation's need for speed in a state-of-the-art Maserati sports car. Along the way, he recreates the famous Italian Job on an historic Fiat test track and follows fashion in Milan before investigating the early 20th-century British love affair with Lake Como in a seaplane. His 1913 Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guidebook under his arm, Michael Portillo continues his journey through the borderland where Europe meets Asia and fulfils a personal lifelong ambition to visit the Black Sea port of Odessa. I was reminded that the deference that propped up the empires was crumbling long before the first trench was dug. [4] In Nuremberg, Portillo travels to the Zeppelin Field and learns more of the city's WW2 connection with Hitler and the Nazis. as the hour and the miles unfolded. The third series had six journeys, in one of which Portillo went further afield to travel on the railways in modern-day Israel. Prague to Munich. 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. His journey begins in the capital of cuisine, Lyon, where he finds out about the early 20th-century Meres Lyonnaises, to whom the city owes its gastronomic reputation. Michael boards an early 20th-century yacht to experience the thrill for himself and learns how British yachtsmen spied on the German navy. His journey ends in the Rheingau to taste the wines of its age old vineyards. You might also like: Michael Portillo on going from politics to riding the rails.