Michael Portillo embarks on six memorable railway journeys across Europe armed only with his 1913 Bradshaw's Guide and sporting his trademark colourful jackets! On his travels, Michael visits towns and villages along the way exploring the sights and sampling local traditions while telling the story of what happened in continental Europe in 1913, when everything changed as the world went to war. SOFIA TO ISTANBUL Michael celebrates Bulgarian independence with a traditional Thracian dance, before crossing continents via the Marmaray metro line. VIENNA TO TRIESTE... Navigating a patchwork of nations which once formed part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Michael witnesses the breathtaking Alpine scenery of the Semmering Pass. PISA TO LAKE GARDA This Grand Tour of Italy from Pisa's famous tower to the waters of Lake Garda sees Michael exploring the cradle of the Renaissance before embarking on a misguided search for Spaghetti Bolognese... ATHENS TO THESSALONIKI Beginning at the Acropolis and ending in Thessaloniki, the site of a royal assassination, Michael reveals the influences at play in the creation of modern Greece. THE BLACK FOREST TO HANNOVER Michael seeks the essence of Germany from the unifying tale of Hansel and Gretel to the pioneering scientists who laid the foundation for Germany's world-class transport technology. BARCELONA TO MALLORCA Returning to Spain, Michael traces the roots of the Civil War that divided his family, before sampling the perfect paella and paying homage to Barcelona's most famous architect. [show more]
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The fourth series of the BBC documentary following Michael Portillo as he travels around Europe and the wider world taking as his guide the 1913 pamphlet 'Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide'. Produced by cartographer George Bradshaw, the pamphlet documents a number of railway journeys and the various towns and hamlets along the way. With an eye to local cultures and traditions and the role each journey and the trains themselves played in the development of world history, Portillo revisits the locations described in the journal and reflects on the changes a century has wrought. The episodes are: 'Sofia to Istanbul', 'Vienna to Trieste', 'Pisa to Lake Garda', 'Athens to Thessaloniki', 'The Black Forest to Hannover' and 'Barcelona to Mallorca'.
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