Zermatt to Geneva Great Continental Railway Journeys


Zermatt to Geneva

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I'm embarking on a new railway adventure

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that will take me across the heart of Europe.

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I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913,

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which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel for the British tourist.

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It told travellers where to go,

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what to see and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks

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crisscrossing the continent.

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Now, a century later, I'm using my copy

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to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,

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where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.

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I want to rediscover that lost Europe that, in 1913,

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couldn't know that its way of life would shortly be swept aside

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by the advent of war.

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I'm following one of my guidebook's recommended journeys to Switzerland.

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A country whose roots date back to 1291.

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Renowned for its breathtaking scenery and invigorating air,

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it's home to four different languages

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united under a single flag.

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A traveller in Switzerland a century ago using a Bradshaw's Guide

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might be here to climb a mountain, buy a watch or open a bank account,

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just as today.

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But in 1913, war loomed.

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Would this country's famous neutrality be respected

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or would its values be used as a short cut

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by Germany and France to attack one another?

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These were the great political questions as Europe slithered down

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the slippery slope to Armageddon.

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I start my journey in the south of the country,

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high up in the Alps in Zermatt,

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then head into the beautiful valleys and lake shores

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to visit the Swiss Riviera at Montreux.

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From there, I move north-east

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to the centre of the country

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and the capital, Bern.

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It's then only a short hop to Biel or Bienne -

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the heart of watchmaking.

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I'll end my journey

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on the shores of Lake Geneva.

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On this journey, I learn about the conquest of the Alps.

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You know, the Matterhorn at that time, it was untouched

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and most people thought it's not climbable.

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'I put my faith in St Bernard...'

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Michael Portillo's the name.

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-OK.

-Last seen somewhere in the Alps.

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'..salute the bravery of a pioneering Swiss pilot...'

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Only when you go up in a small plane like this do you realise

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what a formidable obstacle the Alps would have been a century ago.

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'..before entering a war zone with the Red Cross.'

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CLAMOUR

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A most extraordinary turn of events.

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My first stop will be Zermatt.

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According to Bradshaw's, "A village 5,315 feet above sea,

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"almost surrounded by lofty peaks and glaciers,

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"sometimes described as the very centre of the Alps."

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In the 19th century,

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the British were gripped by a spirit of adventure,

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an urge to explore and to prevail.

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And many of those lofty peaks were first conquered

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by teams that included British climbers

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who devoted their lives to Alpinism.

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When I arrive at Zermatt, I shall be close to

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the most recognisable and forbidding of the Alps, the deadly Matterhorn.

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It's important to remember that,

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until the second half of the 19th century,

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this majestic mountain wilderness

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at the heart of the world's most densely populated continent

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remained largely inaccessible.

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That began to change with the arrival of the railways.

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British mountaineers,

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who would have taken 16 days to travel from London

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to these dangerous, unclimbed peaks,

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could arrive in just three,

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and the golden age of mountaineering was born.

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The Alpine town of Zermatt, nestling in the Matter Valley,

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is the gateway to these magnificent mountains.

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Today, it's famous as a ski resort

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but at the time of the early mountaineers,

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it was a small village of only 400 people.

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The Alps really could have been designed to teach man humility.

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Surrounded by these mountains you feel small and insignificant.

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These peaks created a craze

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which led to an influx of intrepid British adventurers.

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And in order to carry them closer to the Matterhorn,

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the indomitable Swiss railway engineers

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built the Gornergrat cog railway.

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-Hello, Chris.

-Hello.

-Great to see you.

-Nice to meet you.

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I'm Michael.

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'I'm meeting Chris, who works for this remarkable railway.'

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My Bradshaw's says, "The railway up from Zermatt to Gornergrat

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"commands the grandest view obtainable in the Alps

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"of the world of ice and snow."

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So this railway was already built before 1913?

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Yes, it was 15 years before.

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This is extraordinary because many of the Alps

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were only climbed for the first time in the 19th century,

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yet by the end of the 19th century,

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the Swiss are able to build railways to the tops of mountains.

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Yes. The cog railways were invented in 1860, about.

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The first were in America and the Gornergrat Bahn was then 1898.

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From the beginning, it was an electric cog wheel

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and not with steam, and our grand-grandfathers,

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they really were experts and pioneers.

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The Gornergrat trains operate on gradients as steep as 20%

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using a cog that grips a racked rail running between the tracks.

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The traveller in 1913 would have marvelled at the engineering

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and been treated on a clear day

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to an awe-inspiring view across 29 peaks exceeding 4,000 metres.

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Is that the Matterhorn appearing there?

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That would be the Matterhorn, yes.

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4,478 metres above sea level.

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The queen of the mountains.

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Although I'm a plucky sort of fellow

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in fine physical condition with tremendous stamina,

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it's a huge relief that the changeable weather

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scuppers any chance of a summit bid.

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I'm meeting Benedikt Perren,

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who is directly descended from two of the guides

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who made the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865.

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-Hello, Benedikt.

-Hi, Michael.

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-Nice to meet you up here.

-Good to see you and a great place to meet.

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Great spot, yes.

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Why do you think that the British were such keen mountain climbers

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-here in the Alps?

-You know, the British were used to travel

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and the British had the money to travel

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and they realised that there is a lot of first ascents to do

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and they were very keen to reach that goal.

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What was so special about the Matterhorn?

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You know, the Matterhorn, at that time, it was untouched

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and most people in Zermatt thought it's not climbable.

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Tell me about the first successful conquest of the Matterhorn.

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You know, we had four British climbers,

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all four members of British Alpine Club.

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This fearless group comprised Edward Whymper,

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who, at 25, had already made seven unsuccessful attempts,

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Lord Francis Douglas,

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the Reverend Charles Hudson,

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and the novice of the group, Douglas Hadow.

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They were joined by Alpine guides,

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Michel Croz, and Benedikt's relatives,

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Peter Taugwalder and his son, also called Peter.

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They set off at 5.30 on a brilliant and perfectly cloudless morning

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and a day later, after an incident-free climb,

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they arrived 200 feet below the summit.

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Whymper wanted to be the first on the summit.

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He and Michel Croz, their French guide,

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the two of them did run up to the summit

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and the others, they followed, probably 20 minutes later.

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Whymper had done what everyone thought was impossible.

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He'd conquered the Matterhorn.

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Whymper and the two Taugwalders, they stood a bit longer on the summit.

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Probably half an hour later,

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the three of them did start their way down

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and they caught up with the other four very quick.

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On the way down, it was Hadow...

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..who slipped and started to fall...

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..and the rope was not strong enough

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and then it...

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-How do you say?

-Snapped.

-It snapped, yes.

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Four climbers fell down the whole north face.

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A momentous tragedy, a terrible loss of life.

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Yes, that was a big tragedy.

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Out of the party that climbed the mountain,

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only Whymper and the two Taugwalders escaped with their lives.

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Climbing equipment in the 1860s was rudimentary.

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-Is this the sort of boot Hadow had?

-Yes, exactly a boot like that.

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The only hold you've got is these nails here

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and that was basically the reason why he started to slide, you know.

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Really, you think Hadow was killed, and the others too,

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because of a defective boot?

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Yeah, you know, that was one of the main reasons.

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Hadow was basically not a very experienced climber.

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On the other hand, he was not very well equipped.

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Despite your family's involvement in that tragedy,

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you have climbed the Matterhorn. How many times?

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Right now, I've been 250 times on the summit.

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That's extraordinary. What's it like to be at the top of the Matterhorn?

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Great, you know. You are surrounded by

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all the big mountains of the Alps

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and you have a very good panoramic view

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and very emotional moments up there.

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Even today's climbers treat the Matterhorn with the utmost respect

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because, despite many triumphs, about 500 lives have been lost.

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And for Whymper, the tragedy cast a shadow over the rest of his life.

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He wrote, "Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength

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"are naught without prudence and that a momentary negligence

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"may destroy the happiness of a lifetime."

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I'm heading to safer ground

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and descending more than 2,500 metres to the valley below.

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Wherever I go in Switzerland,

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I am astonished by the quality of the railway civil engineering.

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We are now passing through the Kipfen Gorge.

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The Swiss really managed to tame their mountains.

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And when you think that so much of this was done

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during the 19th century and that many of these lines

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have been electrified for more than a century,

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it adds to the sense of wonder.

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They didn't do this by steam-rolling public opinion.

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In this extraordinary democracy,

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many of the most important things are settled by referendum.

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I'm arriving in the town of Visp

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where I'll be able to admire more examples of Swiss railway building.

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I'm catching a connection to Martigny,

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cultural capital of the French-speaking Canton of Valais.

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Bradshaw's tells me that, "Near Martigny

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"is the Hospice of the Great St Bernard,

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"whose monks assist travellers

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"in the dangers from storm and avalanche, aided by their dogs.

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"One, called Barry, helped to save 14 persons."

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Martigny is at one end of the snowy, perilous,

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49-mile Great St Bernard Pass that links Switzerland to Italy.

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It's snow-free only for a couple of months in the summer

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and has been a treacherous route for travellers throughout history.

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Hello.

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'I've come to the Barry Foundation to meet Doris Kundig

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'and the descendants of St Bernard's famous Alpine mastiffs.'

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Doris, what was the origin of the story of the St Bernard dogs?

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The story of the St Bernard started at the Great St Bernard Pass

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where, in the 12th century, St Bernard founded a hospice.

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The canons up there started to have dogs.

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They first were used as working dogs and then soon,

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they found out about their ability to smell

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and to find the orientation.

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'The St Bernard's powerful sense of smell and resistance to cold

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'meant that over a 150-year period, up to 2,000 people,

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'from lost children to Napoleon's soldiers,

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'were rescued by the heroic dogs,

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'and one in particular excelled.'

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Tell me about the original dog called Barry.

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Well, this is our national hero, as to say.

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He lived between 1800 and 1812

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at the hospice and he saved the lives of about 40 people.

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-40?

-40, yeah.

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So he got very famous because of that

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because he seemed to be the one dog

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that really had the ability to find people,

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to rescue people or just to keep them away from danger.

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Although today, St Bernards are no longer used in rescues,

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the Foundation is keeping alive the original line,

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with its 27 bitches and eight dogs.

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And how do you find working with St Bernards?

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What's the character of these dogs?

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Well, they are very lazy, they are very gentle,

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they are stubborn

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but they want to have a contact with people.

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And to preserve traditions,

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the Foundation always trains one dog in avalanche search and rescue.

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In the spirit of adventure, I've offered to be the buried victim.

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'Although it's spring here in the Alps,

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'there is an annual snowfall of ten metres.'

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Thank you.

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'And temperatures drop to minus 30.'

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Whoa! It's deep snow!

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-Hello, Daniel.

-Michael.

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-You're welcome.

-And who's this?

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-Easy.

-Easy?

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Easy. A real St Bernard.

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'It takes three years to train a dog.

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'Here's hoping she's got something of the Barry about her.'

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What do I need to do? Just get in there?

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-Yes, you go inside.

-Yes.

-Then I give you the toy.

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-The toy?

-Yes, the toy, Easy's toy.

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-Oh, Easy's toy.

-Yes.

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You can also play with it!

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One second. So I give you the toy.

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Thank you very much indeed.

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And I give you a little bit meat

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to say thank you to Easy that she will get you out.

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You won't forget about me, will you?

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-Michael Portillo's the name.

-OK.

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Last seen somewhere in the Alps.

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'Now, I know this doesn't look very scientific,

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'but Easy is only in the first year of her training.'

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Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y!

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'Time to put that nose to the test.'

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Easy! Help!

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Easy!

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'Hm. Easy has some way to go before she reaches Barry's standard.'

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Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y!

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'That's the toy, but what about me?'

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Peter, can you get me out of here, please?

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Ah!

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HE LAUGHS

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Nowadays, St Bernards don't bring brandy with them.

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Mm.

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But when you've been in an avalanche for a while,

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this is exactly what you need.

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After all that excitement,

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I'm heading away from the high Alps to the Switzerland of the lakes.

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For 1913 travellers coming from industrialised countries,

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this pure and invigorating air must have been intoxicating.

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For the first part of my journey today,

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I'll be travelling along what Bradshaw's calls

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"The magnificent Rhone Valley".

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That river flows through Switzerland,

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entering Lac Leman near Montreux,

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exits at Geneva and then abandons Switzerland for France.

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Can I help you? Let me pass that up to you.

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There we go.

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Prochain arret, St Moritz.

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Jusqu'a Montreux, s'il vous plait.

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-Tres bien. Merci. Bon voyage.

-Merci, monsieur.

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Bradshaw's describes scenery of mountain, lake and meadow.

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"In summer, the heat is cooled by the lake breezes.

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"In winter, the sheltered situation secures a mild climate with clear air.

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"Not often are there frost and snow."

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And this apparently made the area suitable for the treatment of

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"internal and nervous diseases - gout, rheumatism, heart,

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"kidney and stomach complaints, but not mental or tuberculosis cases".

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I had no idea that a climate could be so picky.

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Montreux's dramatic location on the east side of Lake Geneva

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helped it in the late 19th century to become a famous holiday resort.

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It attracted celebrated residents and visitors

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and became a feature of what was known as the Swiss Riviera.

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Few of those eminent visitors could predict

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that the world order was about to be torn apart

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by a Great War and a revolution in Russia.

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But in fact, well before that, developments in art -

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think of the paintings of Pablo Picasso -

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are already shaking the foundations of the pompous old empires.

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And in the world of music,

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the work of Igor Stravinsky is,

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in its way, as revolutionary as anything by Marx or Lenin,

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and threatened to bring the house down.

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In 1910, Stravinsky was a young, virtually unknown composer,

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but his music for the ballet The Firebird

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was an overnight sensation.

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Impresario Sergei Diaghilev swiftly commissioned him

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to write another.

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I'm meeting Isabel in Montreux's famous home of music.

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Isabel, we are in the beautiful concert hall

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named after Igor Stravinsky.

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Why did Stravinsky come to Montreux?

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Well, he first came here in 1910

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because his wife was not very healthy

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and the temperature here in Montreux was better for her.

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What was it that Stravinsky achieved here in Montreux?

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Well, he wrote The Rite Of Spring.

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During the summer of 1911,

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Stravinsky immersed himself in the piece,

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which appeared fundamentally at odds with the rest of the musical world.

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He finished it on 4th November, 1912,

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and premiered it in Paris in 1913.

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The story concerns a prehistoric Russian tribe

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that celebrates the arrival of spring with a virgin sacrifice.

0:21:560:22:01

Both Stravinsky's score and the choreography were so unexpected

0:22:070:22:12

and avant-garde that a riot broke out in the audience.

0:22:120:22:16

Some considered it an obscene subversion of all music's norms...

0:22:190:22:23

..and condemned Stravinsky as a madman.

0:22:270:22:30

HE PLAYS OPENING FROM RITE OF SPRING

0:22:330:22:37

-Luca, thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

0:22:560:22:58

That opening passage, very, very haunting.

0:22:590:23:03

There is a funny story about this beginning.

0:23:030:23:05

During a rehearsal,

0:23:050:23:07

the bassoon player wanted to make fun of the cor anglais player,

0:23:070:23:12

so he started to play the beginning, but Stravinsky heard it and thought,

0:23:120:23:16

"Oh, maybe I should have the bassoon play this passage."

0:23:160:23:21

And, of course, now it is always played on the bassoon?

0:23:210:23:23

Yeah, now it's a very difficult orchestral passage

0:23:230:23:26

because it's very high. It's also this will from Stravinsky

0:23:260:23:30

to have a music quite extreme and quite breaking the rules.

0:23:300:23:34

ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:23:340:23:36

Can you understand why it was so controversial?

0:23:400:23:42

Well, it has to do with the harmony, with the dissonance.

0:23:420:23:46

But also, it's very violent,

0:23:460:23:48

and Stravinsky used a lot of percussionists,

0:23:480:23:51

I think four percussionists.

0:23:510:23:53

It's really primitive music.

0:23:530:23:56

A violent piece and a violent reaction?

0:23:560:23:59

Yeah. Yeah, I think the first reactions were quite violent.

0:23:590:24:02

Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring is now recognised as an important moment

0:24:060:24:11

in the development of music in the 20th century.

0:24:110:24:14

Every year, the composer features

0:24:140:24:16

in the repertoire of Montreux's Classical Music Festival,

0:24:160:24:20

acknowledging his influence.

0:24:200:24:23

APPLAUSE

0:24:230:24:25

While Montreux attracted composers and musicians,

0:24:270:24:30

early 20th-century tourists were drawn to a lakeside medieval castle.

0:24:300:24:35

Chateau de Chillon, standing on the south-east end of the lake,

0:24:370:24:40

owes its fame not so much to history as to literature.

0:24:400:24:44

Bonjour, Monsieur. Bonjour, Mademoiselle.

0:24:450:24:48

In the early 19th century,

0:24:500:24:52

the Romantic poets Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley

0:24:520:24:56

met up in Geneva. They sailed around the lake and visited the chateau.

0:24:560:25:01

As Bradshaw's remarks, the district is well served by steamer.

0:25:010:25:06

I'm heading for the castle of Chillon,

0:25:060:25:08

which, the guidebook tells me,

0:25:080:25:10

"..is supposed to date from the ninth century

0:25:100:25:12

"but the existing building is probably of the 13th."

0:25:120:25:15

With its turrets and situated down on the water's edge,

0:25:150:25:19

it is the sort of ultimate fairy tale castle.

0:25:190:25:23

And it's appeared so often in literature

0:25:230:25:26

that it is the quintessential Romantic monument.

0:25:260:25:29

Although Byron visited in 1816,

0:25:310:25:33

almost a century before my guidebook,

0:25:330:25:36

his fame was such that everywhere he had gone, crowds followed.

0:25:360:25:41

On that trip, the castle inspired Byron to write his famous poem

0:25:430:25:48

The Prisoner Of Chillon.

0:25:480:25:50

I'm meeting guide Deborah Lockwood

0:25:550:25:57

to find out more about this glamorised castle.

0:25:570:26:00

Well, I mean, this is just the most romantic castle.

0:26:010:26:04

It could pop out of a fairy tale but it must have been built

0:26:040:26:07

-with a serious purpose. What was that?

-A very serious purpose.

0:26:070:26:11

Actually, it was built to protect the road

0:26:110:26:14

that passes right in front of Chillon Castle.

0:26:140:26:17

You notice that it's very narrow between the mountain and the lake,

0:26:170:26:20

and this road is thousands and thousands of years old.

0:26:200:26:24

It was used by the Romans, in fact,

0:26:240:26:27

to come north on their way to Germany,

0:26:270:26:30

later was used as a commercial road for trade

0:26:300:26:33

and also was a pilgrimage route.

0:26:330:26:35

And so the castle is not here to defend the lake, but the road?

0:26:350:26:39

Oh, yes, absolutely, which is why, when you arrived,

0:26:390:26:41

you noticed it looked very much like a fortress with arrow slits,

0:26:410:26:46

ramparts and all the rest.

0:26:460:26:48

The castle was owned by the powerful and wealthy Savoy family,

0:26:480:26:52

rulers and landowners in the area.

0:26:520:26:55

Now, this castle has been notorious as being a prison.

0:26:550:26:59

-Why so?

-The Savoys were very authoritarian,

0:26:590:27:02

there were lots of enemies, there was crime.

0:27:020:27:05

And during the Bernese period, which would have been the 16th century,

0:27:050:27:09

it was also used as a prison for witches.

0:27:090:27:13

Can we go down to the cells, to the dungeons,

0:27:130:27:15

and discuss the famous Prisoner of Chillon?

0:27:150:27:17

-Of course we can. Please follow me.

-Take me below.

0:27:170:27:20

Now, careful with the steps because they're quite slippery.

0:27:220:27:25

'The dungeon that Byron made famous was built in 1256

0:27:280:27:32

'and the prisoner who inspired his poem was locked up here in 1530.'

0:27:320:27:37

Now, who was the Prisoner of Chillon?

0:27:400:27:42

Well, his name was Francois Bonivard.

0:27:420:27:45

He was the son of a small noble family of Savoy

0:27:450:27:47

who lived near Geneva, and he was actually a prior

0:27:470:27:51

who lived and worked in a monastery in Geneva itself.

0:27:510:27:54

Like many people of the times,

0:27:540:27:57

he was in favour of autonomy and freedom from Geneva,

0:27:570:28:01

from the authoritarian rule of the Savoy family,

0:28:010:28:06

and his main problem was he talked too much.

0:28:060:28:09

Bonivard's loose tongue and opposition to the Savoys

0:28:090:28:13

caused him to be incarcerated in Chillon for six years.

0:28:130:28:16

But can you imagine anything more appalling

0:28:170:28:20

than to spend years chained to that ring

0:28:200:28:22

and to have all that beauty outside, just beyond your reach?

0:28:220:28:26

"In each pillar, there is a ring, And in each ring, there is a chain

0:28:310:28:37

"That iron is a cankering thing

0:28:370:28:40

"For in these limbs its teeth remain

0:28:400:28:43

"With marks that will not wear away

0:28:430:28:46

"Till I have done with this new day."

0:28:460:28:49

Byron's prisoner eventually regained his freedom in 1536.

0:28:530:28:57

Why was Byron captivated by this story of a prisoner of Chillon?

0:28:590:29:04

Well, I think that, of course,

0:29:040:29:05

he was in favour of anything that was democratic,

0:29:050:29:09

a brand-new idea at the time, of course, and anyone who had suffered.

0:29:090:29:14

The poem was published in 1816 and earned Byron nearly £2,100 -

0:29:160:29:23

a princely sum in those days.

0:29:230:29:25

For many 1913 travellers,

0:29:350:29:38

seeing Switzerland was a remarkable experience.

0:29:380:29:42

They were stimulated by its beauty,

0:29:430:29:45

mesmerised, having seen nothing like it.

0:29:450:29:50

And like them, I'm now experiencing the excitement of the unexpected...

0:29:520:29:57

..a vineyard called Chemin de Fer which is French for railway.

0:29:580:30:03

It's owned by wine grower Luc Massy.

0:30:030:30:05

I find you in a dry corner.

0:30:050:30:07

-Yes.

-I was very excited when I heard about

0:30:070:30:10

a vineyard that was called Chemin de Fer

0:30:100:30:13

but I did not expect something so narrow.

0:30:130:30:16

How can you possibly produce wine from such a narrow strip?

0:30:160:30:19

Anyway, this region in Dezaley, everything is narrow.

0:30:190:30:22

We get walls, we get terraces, but every terrace is very, very narrow.

0:30:220:30:27

And we do cultivate everything by hand.

0:30:270:30:29

-And it stretches all along the line, does it?

-Yes, it's going far away,

0:30:290:30:33

all along the side of the track is Dezaley Chemin de Fer.

0:30:330:30:37

I don't have to ask you why it's called Chemin de Fer

0:30:420:30:45

but when was it first called Chemin de Fer?

0:30:450:30:47

The first call is something like 100 years ago

0:30:470:30:50

because after they built the railway from Lausanne to Milano in 1860s,

0:30:500:30:56

I think it was more or less 15 years after, we get the vineyards,

0:30:560:31:02

and it was named Clos du Chemin de Fer.

0:31:020:31:05

And the railway must've taken the land away from the vineyards?

0:31:050:31:08

Yes, exactly. But all the big wall that you can see here

0:31:080:31:12

is very good for the vineyards

0:31:120:31:14

because we say we have first the sun,

0:31:140:31:18

the second sun is a reflection from the lake,

0:31:180:31:21

and the third sun is the heat from the wall.

0:31:210:31:24

Well, I've never seen anything like it in my life.

0:31:240:31:27

The vineyard has been in Luc's family for over 100 years.

0:31:290:31:32

His grandfather bought it in 1915 and now they are the only family

0:31:320:31:37

authorised to produce Dezaley Chemin de Fer.

0:31:370:31:41

The Chemin de Fer is made with grape Chasselas

0:31:420:31:46

and the Chasselas is native from this region.

0:31:460:31:50

But you will taste it.

0:31:500:31:52

It's a great, very delicate wine.

0:31:520:31:55

-Very good.

-Are you happy with that?

0:31:590:32:01

Yeah.

0:32:010:32:02

2014, this wine is getting ripe now because if you drink it too early,

0:32:020:32:08

all the conditions are not good.

0:32:080:32:11

I'm enjoying it very much indeed.

0:32:130:32:15

I like to think that, in the early days of the railways,

0:32:150:32:19

when there were steam trains, some of the smut, some of the ashes,

0:32:190:32:23

might have fallen from the trains onto your terroir, onto your land,

0:32:230:32:27

and that might be tasted in the wine.

0:32:270:32:30

And if you don't mind me being irreverent,

0:32:300:32:32

I shall always remember this as Chateaux Choo-choo!

0:32:320:32:36

Chateaux Choo-choo, yeah.

0:32:360:32:38

'While I could happily linger on Switzerland's Riviera,

0:32:540:32:57

'Bradshaw's has more excitement in store.'

0:32:570:33:00

What a beautiful train.

0:33:010:33:03

It takes you back to a golden age.

0:33:030:33:05

'Each of its recommended itineraries offers a new adventure.'

0:33:070:33:12

As I approach my halfway point,

0:33:140:33:17

I'll visit the capital city,

0:33:170:33:21

artisan country

0:33:210:33:23

and the international city of Geneva.

0:33:230:33:26

Not only do the Swiss build great railways,

0:33:340:33:37

they market them brilliantly, too -

0:33:370:33:39

put glass panels in the roof,

0:33:390:33:41

give your trains names like Jungfraujoch,

0:33:410:33:45

Glacier Express or Golden Past,

0:33:450:33:48

and people will flock from all over the world,

0:33:480:33:52

possibly for the rail ride of their lifetime.

0:33:520:33:55

'I'm changing trains at Montbovon

0:34:090:34:12

'on the River Sarine in the Gruyere district.

0:34:120:34:14

'If you lived through the 1970s,

0:34:170:34:20

'you may recall that Swiss fondue was all the rage

0:34:200:34:23

'and, as a teenager, I had to have my own fondue set.

0:34:230:34:28

'So, with a real sense of bell-bottomed nostalgia,

0:34:280:34:32

'I joined the Train du Fromage

0:34:320:34:33

'to meet food historian Dominic Flammer.'

0:34:330:34:37

-Dominic, what do we have in here?

-We have the wine inside.

0:34:370:34:41

We have first to heat the wine a little bit

0:34:410:34:43

so that the cheese will melt better.

0:34:430:34:45

It's called the caquelon, this thing,

0:34:450:34:48

a rechaud and a caquelon in French.

0:34:480:34:50

There isn't an English name for that, I imagine.

0:34:500:34:53

We are drinking a Chasselas,

0:34:530:34:55

because this is a wine with a high acidity

0:34:550:34:57

and this will help us to digest the whole cheese we will eat.

0:34:570:35:01

I like a food that requires you to drink wine.

0:35:010:35:04

So do I.

0:35:040:35:05

A-ha! Open my cheese.

0:35:050:35:09

'Aboard the moving train,

0:35:090:35:11

'the Gruyere and Vacherin come pre-packaged.'

0:35:110:35:13

A lovely smell is arising from it now, Dominic.

0:35:150:35:17

-Indeed.

-It's a lovely consistency now.

0:35:170:35:21

'Originally, in its simplest form,

0:35:210:35:24

'bread, wine and cheese was a winter food for farmers

0:35:240:35:28

'high up in the Alps.

0:35:280:35:29

'But on this fondue express, it comes with one or two extras.'

0:35:290:35:34

-Do you want a little bit?

-Yes, please.

-With pleasure.

0:35:340:35:37

So this is like a cherry spirit, a kirsch?

0:35:370:35:41

It is a cherry spirit.

0:35:410:35:42

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

0:35:420:35:44

Ooh!

0:35:460:35:47

Smell it. Bon appetit, monsieur.

0:35:470:35:50

Merci bien. You should not lose the piece of bread.

0:35:500:35:53

-No.

-You know what happens?

0:35:530:35:54

-I've no idea.

-You have to offer me a glass of cherry,

0:35:540:35:57

and you have to drink one, too.

0:35:570:36:00

Wow, that's good, Dominic.

0:36:060:36:08

-Hello.

-Hello.

0:36:160:36:19

-You have finished your fondue.

-Yes, already.

0:36:190:36:22

Spectacular! Do you like to make a fondue?

0:36:220:36:25

Yes, I do, but we have to be very careful with the cheese,

0:36:250:36:29

because, when it's too young, when you are preparing it,

0:36:290:36:33

there becomes a little bit of oil on the top of the fondue,

0:36:330:36:39

and that's very bad.

0:36:390:36:40

-That's very bad?

-Yes, and it's not very good to eat also.

0:36:400:36:44

So, if I were to cook a fondue...

0:36:440:36:47

-Yes?

-..and if it turned out badly, I should blame the cheese?

0:36:470:36:52

Yes, of course!

0:36:520:36:54

-You're right.

-That's great.

0:36:540:36:55

SHE LAUGHS

0:36:550:36:59

Of course!

0:36:590:37:00

'I can stick around no longer amongst all this Alpine cheesiness.

0:37:030:37:08

'The Swiss capital summons me.'

0:37:080:37:10

My next stop will be Bern.

0:37:170:37:19

Bradshaw's says that it's often mentioned

0:37:190:37:21

as the most picturesque town in Europe,

0:37:210:37:24

with wonderfully preserved medieval towers and fountains.

0:37:240:37:28

It's the seat of the Swiss Government.

0:37:280:37:30

Now, there's a couple of surprises.

0:37:300:37:32

I would never have included Bern on my tourist trail

0:37:320:37:36

and I don't suppose that many people could name it confidently

0:37:360:37:39

as the capital of this highly democratic country.

0:37:390:37:43

'Back in 1912, Switzerland's famed neutrality was tested.

0:37:510:37:56

'The German Kaiser paid a visit, hoping that, if war came,

0:37:560:38:00

'Switzerland would cover Germany's southern flank against France.

0:38:000:38:04

'But despite a population whose majority was German-speaking,

0:38:060:38:09

'the Swiss resolutely refused to take sides.

0:38:090:38:13

'As the day draws to a close,

0:38:140:38:17

'I'm looking forward to exploring Bern in the morning.'

0:38:170:38:20

This ancient city, overlooking a loop of the Aare River,

0:38:320:38:36

is just over a mile wide.

0:38:360:38:38

Bears feature on the coat of arms.

0:38:510:38:53

Legend has it that in 1191,

0:38:530:38:56

Count Berthold V named the capital after killing a bear here.

0:38:560:39:01

Amazingly, there is a bear pit today in the heart of Bern,

0:39:020:39:07

providing a home to these now much-loved animals.

0:39:070:39:11

Switzerland is a federation of 26 little states,

0:39:160:39:20

and its Parliament is behind me.

0:39:200:39:22

It also has a Federal Council, a seven-man joint presidency,

0:39:220:39:27

which has never been replaced at one fell swoop

0:39:270:39:30

since it was founded in 1848.

0:39:300:39:33

Even the legislation of Parliament

0:39:330:39:35

can be vetoed by public referendums.

0:39:350:39:38

So, the Swiss democracy relies on public consultation,

0:39:380:39:42

consensus and continuity.

0:39:420:39:45

They've done pretty well out of it.

0:39:450:39:47

Whilst I admire that balance and even-handedness,

0:39:500:39:54

I wish to explore the Swiss sense of adventure.

0:39:540:39:56

I'm following in the slipstream

0:40:000:40:02

of one of Bern's greatest aviation heroes.

0:40:020:40:04

Oskar Bider was a 22-year-old maverick pilot determined to become

0:40:070:40:13

the first person to fly across the Alps in 1913.

0:40:130:40:16

-Hello, Daniel.

-Hi, Michael.

-Good to see you.

0:40:160:40:20

'To relive that epic flight,

0:40:200:40:22

'I'm being taken aloft in a 1937 biplane

0:40:220:40:26

'by pilot Daniel Ogg.'

0:40:260:40:28

Now we make you look like a driver.

0:40:280:40:31

'Thankfully, Daniel is experienced.

0:40:310:40:34

'Bider obtained his pilot's licence after just a month.'

0:40:340:40:37

OK, Daniel. Let's go flying.

0:40:420:40:45

Yes, let's do it.

0:40:450:40:47

Even in a plane more modern than Bider's,

0:40:500:40:54

it all feels frighteningly flimsy.

0:40:540:40:57

OK, Michael, are you ready?

0:41:010:41:03

I'm ready.

0:41:030:41:04

OK. Up we go.

0:41:040:41:06

I must have crossed the Alps dozens of times,

0:41:320:41:35

but only when you go up in a small plane like this, a little biplane,

0:41:350:41:40

feels so flimsy and so tiny,

0:41:400:41:43

do you realise what a formidable obstacle

0:41:430:41:47

the Alps would have been

0:41:470:41:49

a century ago.

0:41:490:41:50

You had to be a very brave man to fly across them.

0:41:510:41:56

Following an unsuccessful attempt,

0:42:060:42:09

Bider set off again on the 13th of July 1913,

0:42:090:42:14

only a decade after the first plane ever

0:42:140:42:16

had been flown by the Wright brothers.

0:42:160:42:19

Flying in this wonderful biplane,

0:42:230:42:25

the Alps today are crystal clear and snowy covered.

0:42:250:42:30

He piloted his monoplane, rising to 11,800 feet,

0:42:310:42:35

across this mighty range,

0:42:350:42:38

setting a new altitude record

0:42:380:42:40

before landing safely in Milan.

0:42:400:42:43

Switzerland's Alps had been conquered from the air

0:42:430:42:47

in Bider's greatest triumph.

0:42:470:42:49

Just behind me is the Jungfraujoch,

0:42:490:42:53

the shoulder of mountain over which Oskar Bider flew.

0:42:530:42:59

Taking to the air helps me to appreciate

0:43:070:43:10

what this daring young man achieved,

0:43:100:43:13

and I salute his courage.

0:43:130:43:16

By 1913, the growing railway network

0:43:280:43:31

had made Switzerland a European transport hub,

0:43:310:43:35

as every year thousands of travellers

0:43:350:43:37

passed between southern and northern Europe.

0:43:370:43:40

They were tempted by the dizzying choice of routes

0:43:400:43:43

and lyrical descriptions in my Bradshaw's Guide.

0:43:430:43:46

My next stop will be Biel,

0:43:490:43:50

which Bradshaw's tells me is, "a busy place

0:43:500:43:53

"near the northern end of the Bielersee,

0:43:530:43:55

"a seat of the watchmaking trade."

0:43:550:43:58

It's time to see what makes Switzerland tick.

0:43:580:44:01

Biel in German, or Bienne in French -

0:44:040:44:07

the city straddles the two linguistic areas -

0:44:070:44:10

dates back to Celtic and Roman times.

0:44:100:44:13

At the time of my Bradshaw's,

0:44:150:44:17

it had become a watch-manufacturing centre

0:44:170:44:20

at the heart of a revolution in railway timekeeping.

0:44:200:44:23

Key innovator in this field was watchmaking company Omega.

0:44:230:44:27

Hello, Petros.

0:44:270:44:29

Watch historian Petros Protopapas has offered to guide me

0:44:290:44:33

through this delicate craft.

0:44:330:44:35

Was there a reason why there were lots of Swiss people

0:44:350:44:40

who were so capable of doing this precision work?

0:44:400:44:43

They practically had to do it.

0:44:430:44:44

They had to learn it, they had to live by it,

0:44:440:44:47

because in the winter time,

0:44:470:44:48

a lot of Swiss people couldn't work the land,

0:44:480:44:51

so they had to learn a new trade,

0:44:510:44:53

like the trade to work machines,

0:44:530:44:55

the trade to create new pieces, to produce dials, to produce hands.

0:44:550:44:59

So it was a life-saving exercise.

0:44:590:45:01

In 1910, Omega developed the chronograph,

0:45:020:45:05

which included a stopwatch,

0:45:050:45:07

and it became a vital tool for the artillery

0:45:070:45:10

during the First World War.

0:45:100:45:12

It may be obvious to you,

0:45:120:45:14

but why is an accurate watch so useful to the military?

0:45:140:45:18

It was a question of survival.

0:45:180:45:20

You imagine yourself being on a trench -

0:45:200:45:22

you would need to know how far away you are from your enemy.

0:45:220:45:26

So the only way you can do this is if you have a chronograph

0:45:260:45:30

that has a so-called telemeter scale on it.

0:45:300:45:33

So imagine, you look on the horizon,

0:45:330:45:35

and you could make out the lighting, the flash of the gun being fired.

0:45:350:45:39

You would start instantly the chronograph at the flash you see.

0:45:390:45:43

And then when you hear the corresponding sound,

0:45:430:45:46

the bang of that very gun,

0:45:460:45:47

you would stop the chronograph,

0:45:470:45:49

and off the tip of the stopped seconds hand,

0:45:490:45:52

you can literally read the distance.

0:45:520:45:54

The newly developed watch on the wrist

0:45:570:45:59

was much easier to access than fiddling around for a fob.

0:45:590:46:03

I've been given very rare access to go behind the scenes.

0:46:080:46:12

-Hello, David.

-Hello, Michael. How are you?

-Very well.

0:46:140:46:17

-So many doors to come through.

-Yes.

0:46:170:46:19

It's like a high security place.

0:46:190:46:21

So, please, remove your shoes.

0:46:210:46:22

-Next...

-Hairnet.

-Hairnet, yes.

0:46:240:46:27

It may look as though I'm ready to go into space,

0:46:300:46:33

but the deadly enemy of precision is dust.

0:46:330:46:36

What do you think?

0:46:430:46:44

Absolutely...absolutely extraordinary.

0:46:440:46:47

An enormous room. Obviously, beautifully clean,

0:46:470:46:50

-but also almost entirely quiet.

-Yes.

0:46:500:46:53

Watchmaking, you know, we must be some kind of calm, you know?

0:46:530:46:56

Must be quiet.

0:46:560:46:58

Here, we only deal with the assembly of mechanical movements.

0:46:580:47:02

This tradition of hand-built watches dates back to 1848,

0:47:020:47:08

when Omega's 23-year-old founder Louis Brandt

0:47:080:47:11

began assembling watches from parts produced by local craftsmen.

0:47:110:47:15

We still need people,

0:47:150:47:17

we still rely on the judgment of the eye of the people.

0:47:170:47:21

We just leave, I would say, all the boring things to the automation,

0:47:210:47:25

and all the tricky things, all the assembly,

0:47:250:47:28

must be done by people.

0:47:280:47:29

David wants me to assemble the movement

0:47:290:47:32

used inside some of the company's most precise watches.

0:47:320:47:36

This one has 201 parts.

0:47:360:47:39

It's just like a Lego.

0:47:390:47:40

Remember that thing. It's an easy thing, watchmaking.

0:47:400:47:44

We have a main plate, we just add some wheels, we put a bridge on top,

0:47:440:47:47

screw them down, and it's finished.

0:47:470:47:49

Quite an easy thing.

0:47:490:47:50

But the problem is, they're rather tiny, these pieces.

0:47:500:47:53

Mm... We'll look at it.

0:47:530:47:55

You take the right one.

0:47:550:47:58

The right, the left one on the left.

0:47:580:48:02

Then...on top, you have to put the ratchet.

0:48:020:48:07

It's quite an easy thing.

0:48:070:48:09

'David is the quality control manager,

0:48:090:48:12

'so nothing escapes his eye.'

0:48:120:48:14

OK. Let me give that a go.

0:48:140:48:16

No. That one first.

0:48:160:48:18

This one first, for some reason.

0:48:180:48:20

-On the right.

-On the right. That's easy enough.

0:48:200:48:22

-The left.

-This one from the left.

0:48:220:48:25

-You're good.

-On the left.

0:48:250:48:27

-Now, this is more difficult.

-Yeah.

-Tricky little fellows.

0:48:270:48:31

Now, this has a square hole.

0:48:310:48:35

-It's in.

-I believe, er...yes.

-It's in.

0:48:360:48:39

The materials have changed across more than 100 years,

0:48:390:48:42

but the artisan skills have remained largely the same.

0:48:420:48:46

Just in between, on the jewel. It's OK.

0:48:460:48:49

-Is that OK?

-Yes, excellent. Good work.

0:48:490:48:52

Excellent!

0:48:520:48:53

If that wasn't fiddly enough,

0:48:530:48:55

David is going to show me how to add five tiny drops of oil.

0:48:550:48:59

That is the tricky part, but it's also the fun part of the operation.

0:48:590:49:04

OK. We'll give this...

0:49:040:49:06

-I don't have very good eyesight, you know.

-Let me show you.

0:49:060:49:08

-Each time you press the pedal...

-Yes.

-See?

0:49:080:49:11

-Ooh!

-..you get some grease.

0:49:110:49:14

Three...

0:49:170:49:18

..four...

0:49:200:49:21

..five.

0:49:230:49:24

-What do you think, David?

-Let me have a look.

0:49:240:49:26

OK.

0:49:260:49:28

-You know what?

-Yes?

-It's a terrible mess, you know?

0:49:280:49:31

There is way too much oil,

0:49:310:49:32

and you've put a lot of oil on top of the wheel.

0:49:320:49:35

-Yeah, I missed...

-Yes, you missed.

0:49:350:49:37

-But you're not a watchmaker.

-I'm not a watchmaker.

0:49:370:49:40

I congratulate the people in this room.

0:49:400:49:42

-That is so intricate.

-Yeah.

0:49:420:49:44

Ah, the Swiss didn't become famous for their watches for nothing!

0:49:440:49:47

Suitably humbled, I'm heading back to the station,

0:49:510:49:54

and south once more to Lake Geneva.

0:49:540:49:57

-Bonjour, Monsieur. Ca va?

-Ca va.

0:50:020:50:05

-Merci, Monsieur.

-Merci.

0:50:070:50:08

In 1913, this journey would have taken over three hours by train,

0:50:100:50:15

but by Swiss InterCity today,

0:50:150:50:17

I'll arrive in just over an hour and a half.

0:50:170:50:19

I've followed my guidebook pace by pace.

0:50:250:50:29

"From the railway station,

0:50:290:50:30

"the broad rue descends to the Pont du Mont Blanc,

0:50:300:50:34

"across the end of the lake.

0:50:340:50:36

"The views from the bridge and from the neighbouring quays

0:50:360:50:39

"are very beautiful, especially on clear summer evenings."

0:50:390:50:43

I'm up early to explore my final destination, Geneva.

0:50:530:50:58

At the time of my Bradshaw's,

0:51:000:51:02

this small but already prosperous city,

0:51:020:51:05

beneath its emblem, the Jet d'Eau,

0:51:050:51:07

would have been buzzing and cosmopolitan.

0:51:070:51:10

But what truly marks this city out as world-class

0:51:130:51:16

is its involvement in international affairs.

0:51:160:51:20

The League of Nations was headquartered here,

0:51:230:51:26

where the first Geneva Conventions had been signed in 1864,

0:51:260:51:30

and it was the birthplace of

0:51:300:51:33

the International Committee of the Red Cross.

0:51:330:51:35

Just up the road from its imposing headquarters,

0:51:390:51:42

I'm extremely lucky to be getting access

0:51:420:51:44

to a Red Cross checkpoint exercise,

0:51:440:51:47

run by trainer Benjamin Varen.

0:51:470:51:49

What is the object of the exercise?

0:51:500:51:53

The object of this exercise is to prepare our new colleagues,

0:51:530:51:56

who've recently joined the ICRC,

0:51:560:51:58

to go to the field and to know a little bit what they could expect

0:51:580:52:01

when there's been an outbreak of fighting,

0:52:010:52:03

people have been displaced, people have been injured.

0:52:030:52:05

-This will help to ease the pain.

-OK.

0:52:050:52:08

In real life, you must have found yourself at military checkpoints

0:52:080:52:12

like the one you're simulating today.

0:52:120:52:14

Yes. I think the one that marked me the most was when I was

0:52:140:52:17

at a checkpoint and the soldiers there seemed intoxicated,

0:52:170:52:21

and it was a very, very tense situation,

0:52:210:52:24

because I had trouble connecting to them.

0:52:240:52:26

The first thing you need to do at a checkpoint is try to connect with

0:52:260:52:29

the people, and if you can't do that, it can go wrong

0:52:290:52:32

and it can be quite scary as well.

0:52:320:52:34

The shock of seeing 40,000 casualties

0:52:360:52:38

at the Battle of Solferino spurred Geneva businessmen Henri Dunant

0:52:380:52:43

to found the Red Cross.

0:52:430:52:45

Originally, it had a paid staff of only eight,

0:52:460:52:49

but that quickly grew after the First World War.

0:52:490:52:52

Today, it has over 14,000.

0:52:520:52:54

I've clearly stumbled upon a checkpoint.

0:53:010:53:04

The road is barred with a tree trunk,

0:53:040:53:08

and there are four or five heavily armed guys here,

0:53:080:53:11

who all look pretty menacing to me.

0:53:110:53:14

Not the sort of people you want to mess with.

0:53:140:53:16

Today, Dunant's abiding principles -

0:53:180:53:20

to provide a permanent relief agency for humanitarian aid in wartime -

0:53:200:53:25

are followed often in the face of great danger.

0:53:250:53:27

OK. Get out. Everybody out of the car.

0:53:290:53:32

Red Cross staff are now deployed in 80 countries,

0:53:340:53:37

and for these trainees, learning how to negotiate is key.

0:53:370:53:41

OK, on the line. Here.

0:53:430:53:44

Everyone.

0:53:440:53:45

I want to know what you are doing on this road.

0:53:470:53:49

We are heading to the hospital.

0:53:490:53:51

Here I have the notification that we received the agreement

0:53:510:53:55

with your government.

0:53:550:53:56

Give me your passports.

0:53:560:53:58

What are you exactly going to do in this hospital?

0:53:590:54:02

Um, our aim is completely humanitarian.

0:54:020:54:05

We are helping the victims of violence and armed conflict.

0:54:050:54:10

Tragically, attacks on the Red Cross have become more frequent,

0:54:120:54:15

and workers have often been targeted.

0:54:150:54:18

Excuse me, sir.

0:54:200:54:21

I think the best for the wounded person would be

0:54:210:54:24

if we would transport her to the hospital.

0:54:240:54:27

If that is OK with you.

0:54:270:54:28

-You can take her with you?

-Yes, we can.

0:54:280:54:31

-You have a stretcher or anything?

-Yes.

0:54:310:54:33

OK, you can already put her on the stretcher.

0:54:330:54:35

Can William come and help?

0:54:350:54:36

The team from the International Committee of the Red Cross

0:54:360:54:40

are being given a very hard time by the soldiers.

0:54:400:54:43

In my judgment, they're giving the answers right,

0:54:430:54:46

but they're being taken further and further in the interrogation,

0:54:460:54:50

and it must really be pretty shaking to go through this.

0:54:500:54:54

Is it OK for you if my colleague just check very fast

0:54:540:54:57

if you don't have any weapons, because it's about our security.

0:54:570:55:00

Come on, get it done. She's injured.

0:55:000:55:02

It seems that the situation is really deteriorating.

0:55:020:55:05

They've been here an awfully long time now.

0:55:050:55:07

Tempers are getting a little bit frayed.

0:55:070:55:09

Voices are now being raised. It's not going so well.

0:55:090:55:12

Give back the passports.

0:55:120:55:14

Thank you very much.

0:55:160:55:17

The Red Cross worker...

0:55:170:55:19

Check they're all there.

0:55:190:55:20

..is armed only with one of the most recognisable symbols in the world -

0:55:200:55:25

the Red Cross on a white background,

0:55:250:55:27

the reverse of the Swiss flag.

0:55:270:55:29

Do you have any safety and security information for us?

0:55:300:55:33

-What we have to do?

-There's been shooting this morning in this area.

0:55:330:55:36

That's all I can tell you. Now, if you want to risk your life and

0:55:360:55:39

go this way, with the clearance you have received and the explanation

0:55:390:55:42

you have given me, OK, you can proceed.

0:55:420:55:44

It's at your own risk.

0:55:440:55:46

One, two, three.

0:55:460:55:47

Don't worry, don't worry. Stay calm.

0:55:490:55:50

It seems this group has successfully negotiated its way through.

0:55:500:55:55

GUNFIRE

0:55:550:55:57

Get down! Get down!

0:55:570:55:59

Move! Move down.

0:55:590:56:01

Move, move, move! Come on!

0:56:070:56:09

Move down!

0:56:120:56:13

Go to the car and move.

0:56:130:56:15

Now!

0:56:150:56:17

A most extraordinary turn of events.

0:56:200:56:22

Just as they'd negotiated their way through, we came under fire.

0:56:220:56:26

Explosions all around.

0:56:260:56:28

The soldiers have put them in the car.

0:56:280:56:30

A dramatic conclusion to events.

0:56:340:56:37

Seeing the Red Cross in action makes me realise what an impact

0:56:390:56:44

the qualities of this small nation have had.

0:56:440:56:47

A country dominated by mountains and, in winter, by snow,

0:56:490:56:54

has nonetheless possibly the world's most efficient railway system.

0:56:540:56:59

That suggests that the Swiss people are ingenious and exceptional.

0:56:590:57:04

They sell watches and banking services to the world,

0:57:040:57:08

and host several international organisations.

0:57:080:57:12

And yet, over the centuries, they've held themselves apart,

0:57:120:57:16

remaining neutral during two World Wars,

0:57:160:57:19

and staying out of Nato and the European Union.

0:57:190:57:23

Unlike most European countries,

0:57:230:57:25

neither their people nor their beautiful cities

0:57:250:57:29

have been devastated during the 20th century.

0:57:290:57:32

They have thrived on a fondue of prosperity and peace.

0:57:320:57:38

Next time, I leave Europe to take in the sights,

0:57:400:57:43

sounds and tastes of North Africa.

0:57:430:57:48

So many flavours. They explode on the tongue.

0:57:490:57:52

Learn how the Sultan of Morocco handed his country to the French.

0:57:520:57:57

France had promised him many things which never happened.

0:57:570:58:00

They would rule over Morocco as they wished.

0:58:000:58:03

And marvel at a modern masterpiece.

0:58:030:58:06

This is not only a building of worship,

0:58:070:58:10

but a celebration of what the Moroccan people can achieve.

0:58:100:58:13

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