0:00:02 > 0:00:05I'm embarking on a new railway adventure that will take me
0:00:05 > 0:00:07across the heart of Europe.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12I'll be using this -
0:00:12 > 0:00:17my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913, which
0:00:17 > 0:00:22opened up an exotic world of foreign travel for the British tourist.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26'It told travellers where to go, what to see and how to navigate
0:00:26 > 0:00:30'the thousands of miles of tracks crisscrossing the continent.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32'Now, a century later,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36'I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41'where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:47I want to rediscover that lost Europe that, in 1913, couldn't know
0:00:47 > 0:00:52that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14I'm beginning a new journey through Denmark, Sweden and Norway,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17which, until the early 16th century,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20were all ruled by a powerful Danish monarchy.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23By the time of my guidebook in 1913,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26the three were politically separate,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29but known collectively as Scandinavia.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31The British traveller could now visit
0:01:31 > 0:01:35the extreme landscapes of mountains and lakes thanks to the railways.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38'At the turn of the 20th century,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41'British tourists would have felt a particular connection to
0:01:41 > 0:01:46'Scandinavia, thanks to the marriage of the future King Edward VII
0:01:46 > 0:01:50'to the Danish Princess Alexandra in 1863.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53'Their daughter Maud would go on to become Queen of Norway,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55'forging further strong links
0:01:55 > 0:01:58'between Britain and these Nordic lands.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04'My adventure begins in Denmark's capital Copenhagen, crosses
0:02:04 > 0:02:07'the famous Oresund Bridge to Malmo in Sweden,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11'then travels north along Sweden's west coast to Gothenburg,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13'stopping briefly in Trollhatten
0:02:13 > 0:02:16'before heading to Norway's capital, Oslo.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21'Along the way, I lose my inhibitions in a Swedish sauna...'
0:02:21 > 0:02:22On the whole,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I don't take my clothes off with people I don't know.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28'..ride one of the world's oldest fairground attractions...'
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Oh!
0:02:29 > 0:02:32'..have a Highland fling, Scandinavian style...'
0:02:32 > 0:02:34ALL: Skol!
0:02:36 > 0:02:38'..and brave a white-knuckle ride
0:02:38 > 0:02:42'based on a winter sport invented by Norwegians.'
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Whee-hoo!
0:02:46 > 0:02:48One of the great experiences of my life.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58My first stop is the Danish capital Copenhagen.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02My Bradshaw's quips that, "Denmark is a little monarchy,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06"formerly more extensive, between the North Sea and the Baltic."
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Copenhagen is the economic, political
0:03:12 > 0:03:14and cultural centre of Denmark.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24It started life in the 11th century as a Viking fishing port.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Surrounded by water and interlaced with canals,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31it's a veritable Venice of the North.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36It is connected to Stockholm, Hamburg, Berlin
0:03:36 > 0:03:38and beyond by the railways.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Copenhagen's main railway station was, in fact,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49new at the time of my Bradshaw's guide
0:03:49 > 0:03:52but, built as it is out of traditional wooden trusses,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54it has the feeling of a Gothic banqueting hall -
0:03:54 > 0:03:58perhaps a way of reminding us that the Danish monarchy traces its
0:03:58 > 0:04:02origins back more than 1,000 years to the middle of the 10th century.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15'According to my guide, Copenhagen is one of the pleasantest
0:04:15 > 0:04:17'of the smaller capitals of Europe.'
0:04:18 > 0:04:20And 100 years on,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24the historic skyline is unspoiled by high-rise buildings.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35On leaving the railway station,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38travellers would have noticed at once one of the oldest
0:04:38 > 0:04:41amusement parks in the world - the Tivoli Gardens.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50'Ellen Dahl knows all about it.'
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- Ellen, hello.- Hello.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56What is the origin of the Tivoli Gardens at Copenhagen?
0:04:56 > 0:05:00When Tivoli was founded in 1843, it was a big fashion all over Europe.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03So this was the first place in Denmark you could actually
0:05:03 > 0:05:05go into the public domain and see people and have fun
0:05:05 > 0:05:10and have a meal and see a show and just be out.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Now, if I've got this right, the railway came after Tivoli Gardens.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16- It started in 1847, didn't it, the railway?- That's true, yes.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21And the first railway station in Copenhagen was just next to
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Tivoli, so just a little more west.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28And people would stand inside Tivoli to look out on the railways
0:05:28 > 0:05:31and see the trains, because they'd never seen anything like it.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34And, vice versa, people would stand in the train station
0:05:34 > 0:05:37and look into Tivoli and see all the fun going on in here.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40What does Tivoli mean to the people of Copenhagen?
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Well, Tivoli is somewhere that everybody has been.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49People have very fond memories of Tivoli, so they tend to get
0:05:49 > 0:05:52very attached to things that are in Tivoli and they tend to want
0:05:52 > 0:05:56to relive childhood memories, actually, when they are here.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I'd like to return to childhood myself,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04on the most popular attraction in Tivoli.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Every year, up to 1.3 million thrill-seekers
0:06:08 > 0:06:10ride this wooden roller coaster.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17Dating from 1914, it is one of the oldest of its kind in the world.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23How much has it changed, then, in the last century?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25It's extremely authentic.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Of course, things have been maintained
0:06:28 > 0:06:30and things have been changed,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33in terms of actual boards and rails and things like that,
0:06:33 > 0:06:38but the ride is as you would have seen it 100 years ago.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41I can't wait any longer.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43- Ellen, this will be fun. - Are you all right?
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- Yeah. I like roller coasters. - Don't stand up.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- Hold your arms inside the carriage, yeah?- And keep hold of Bradshaw.
0:06:50 > 0:06:51Hold on to your book.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58The roller coaster is pulled up to the top of the first incline,
0:06:58 > 0:07:02the highest point, and then gravity takes over.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04You have to put your arms up, yeah?
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Aaa-oh!
0:07:06 > 0:07:09HE LAUGHS
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Oh, my bottom was well off the seat there.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19That's what they call air time. That's the fun of it.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23'Tivoli is Scandinavia's most popular attraction.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26'Over four million visitors a year enjoy the rides.'
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- Oh, Ellen, that was brilliant. - Did you enjoy it?
0:07:31 > 0:07:34My bottom was in the air more than it was on the seat.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41After that excitement, I'll seek a classic theme park refreshment.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- Hello.- Hello, Michael. Welcome.- Thank you, Kjeld.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47This looks like a very traditional ice cream salon.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49How long has it been going?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52It's been going on for more than 100 years. Since 1906.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- Has it been in the family?- Yes. See the picture up there in the corner?
0:07:55 > 0:07:59The small boy over there, that's my grandad, back in 1906.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01- That's amazing.- Yeah.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Kjeld's family have been using the same recipe for waffle cones
0:08:04 > 0:08:06for over a century.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Let's see whether I can master the age-old technique.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15- OK, here goes.- Yeah.- Right. So, I lift the waffle.- Yeah.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19- And that one.- I turn this around. I give it a small squirt.- Perfect.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Yes. So far, so good.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26The difficult bit is still to come.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28A small squeeze.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29And now we just wait.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Now is going to be the tricky part.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34- Lift up?- Yeah.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36- Close that up.- Next one.
0:08:36 > 0:08:42The difficult thing here is to get that fold working just right.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- Nice and easy.- Nice and easy. And put it down there.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48- And put it down there.- Yeah. - Sort of.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50This is almost perfect. Almost.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55'I had no idea that waffle cone making was such a precision art.'
0:08:55 > 0:09:00I hope that was worth it cos my fingers are burning.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02I hope it tastes as good as it looks.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Mm! My visit to Tivoli has given me
0:09:07 > 0:09:12a real flavour of an amusement garden, 1913 style.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18'In the early 20th century,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21'the Tivoli Gardens were a great leveller -
0:09:21 > 0:09:24'a place where both rich and poor came to enjoy themselves.'
0:09:24 > 0:09:25Hurrah, two!
0:09:34 > 0:09:36But elsewhere in Copenhagen,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39the social divide was more rigidly observed
0:09:39 > 0:09:41and nowhere more so than at the Amalienborg.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49These four near-identical palaces are still home
0:09:49 > 0:09:51to the Danish royal family.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Around the time of my guide, the connection with
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Buckingham Palace naturally drew many British visitors.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Historian Knud Jespersen knows more.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07How did it happen, then,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10that Princess Alexandra married the British Prince of Wales?
0:10:10 > 0:10:13I think that the key person in this process
0:10:13 > 0:10:16was Edward's elder sister, Vicky,
0:10:16 > 0:10:22who was Crown Princess in Prussia and who had taken it upon herself
0:10:22 > 0:10:27to find an appropriate spouse for her little brother.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32They sent pictures to Edward, who rejected them one after one.
0:10:32 > 0:10:38Then she also sent the picture of beautiful Alexandra.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52Then he was very pleased with that so some secret meetings were arranged
0:10:52 > 0:10:55at different places in Germany,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and it ended up with a wedding in 1863.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04The marriage at Windsor took place amid great ceremonial.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06The British welcomed Alexandra with a poem
0:11:06 > 0:11:09written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13celebrating the ancient links between the nations.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17"Sea-kings' daughter from over the sea, Alexandra!
0:11:17 > 0:11:20"Saxon and Norman and Dane are we
0:11:20 > 0:11:24"But all of us Danes in our welcome of thee, Alexandra!"
0:11:26 > 0:11:30A successful marriage between Alexandra and Edward VII?
0:11:30 > 0:11:34I think so. I think Alexandra was a very tolerant woman,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37who endured all Edward's affairs.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- Was she popular in Britain? - I think so.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44She had a good social instinct
0:11:44 > 0:11:47so she could communicate with
0:11:47 > 0:11:53the upper class at the court and also with the common people.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Alexandra was the Diana of her day,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00and not the only member of her family to grace a European throne.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05One brother became the King of Denmark. Another, King of Greece.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09And her sister, Dagmar, Empress of Russia.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13I'm interested, you know, these two women, Alexandra and Dagmar,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15they have both become empresses.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18That must have been quite important, politically.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22It was because there was a direct connection between
0:12:22 > 0:12:27the two great powers of Europe - Great Britain and Russia -
0:12:27 > 0:12:31and it showed when the Russian Revolution broke
0:12:31 > 0:12:36and the Tsar's family were chased and executed.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39And so Dagmar's son, who by then was Tsar, was murdered.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- And other members of the family? - All of them.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45She was the only one that survived.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49And only thanks to her evacuation by the British man-of-war,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51which was sent to Crimea
0:12:51 > 0:12:57on the instigation of Queen, or Empress, Alexandra.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05The bond between Alexandra and Dagmar was forged
0:13:05 > 0:13:07during a happy childhood.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Growing up together close to the Amalienborg Palace,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13the princesses enjoyed stories read to them
0:13:13 > 0:13:16by a Danish writer famed across the world.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22'Hans Christian Andersen is perhaps Denmark's best-known author.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25'His fairy tales are known everywhere,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28'and many, such as Thumbelina and The Princess And The Pea,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32'have inspired ballets, plays and films.'
0:13:36 > 0:13:38The visitor using my Bradshaw's guide
0:13:38 > 0:13:41had a brand-new tourist attraction to see,
0:13:41 > 0:13:45because in 1913 they unveiled a statue to The Little Mermaid,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49one of the characters from a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52And now tourists will risk life and limb
0:13:52 > 0:13:56to get close to this pretty creature and her fishy tale of woe.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03More than a million people visit The Little Mermaid each year.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08Most know her from the Disney film but, unlike her cartoon counterpart,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12this Little Mermaid's story didn't have a happy ending.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17- Can you remember the story of The Little Mermaid?- Er...yeah.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21It's a love story about The Little Mermaid
0:14:21 > 0:14:24and she's condemned to stay in the water.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26She couldn't get out.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Is it a happy story or a sad story?
0:14:28 > 0:14:30A sad story.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Are you visiting Copenhagen?
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Well, I'm local. I live only 3km from this place.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39What is the genius of Hans Christian Andersen?
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Why was he so successful? Why do we remember him?
0:14:41 > 0:14:46I think because he expressed himself through the fairy tales.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48He was a very sensitive person
0:14:48 > 0:14:52and he had a special life when he was young and so on
0:14:52 > 0:14:56and he had to fight for his life. He was born in 1805.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00He never married and maybe he never had any relationship with a woman.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04The Little Mermaid has a rather sad ending.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09Maybe he was projecting his own life in this story as well.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11To him, there was no happy ending.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14He was happy because he became world famous when he was older,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17but his personal life was not so happy.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20It looks as if he's making a lot of tourists happy today.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28The Little Mermaid's appeal is enduring and universal.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33But, with a train to catch, I must return to the station.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42A traveller using a Bradshaw's guide in 1913 would have had to do
0:15:42 > 0:15:46the next part of my journey over to Sweden by steamer.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49But, even at the beginning of the 20th century, the idea of a bridge
0:15:49 > 0:15:54was already a dream, and finally the dream became reality in 1999.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59MUSIC: "Hollow Talk" by Choir Of Young Believers
0:15:59 > 0:16:03# Echoes start as a cross in you... #
0:16:03 > 0:16:06'My journey is taking me across the Oresund Bridge.'
0:16:06 > 0:16:11'It's a central feature of the Scandi-noir drama The Bridge.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13# Spatial movement which seems to you... #
0:16:13 > 0:16:17'In the television series, it brings together detectives from Denmark
0:16:17 > 0:16:20'and Sweden to solve a gruesome murder.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23'The bridge also allows people to commute
0:16:23 > 0:16:25'between Malmo and Copenhagen.'
0:16:25 > 0:16:27# Hollow talking and hollow girl. #
0:16:27 > 0:16:31- Hello.- Hello. - Do you use it very much?
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Yeah, because my mother-in-law has a small house in Sweden,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38and we live in Denmark, so sometimes we go visit the house there.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41The bridge is for both trains and cars, is that right?
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- That's right, yeah.- What do you normally do? Train or car?- Car.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47I suppose you must all be very proud of this bridge.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49- It's an amazing piece of engineering.- Yes, it is.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Has it really altered people's lives?
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Danes are going more to Malmo in Sweden for shopping
0:16:55 > 0:16:59and probably also the Swedes are coming into the city of Copenhagen
0:16:59 > 0:17:02for fun and restaurants and so on.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05It now takes just 30 minutes,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07crossing the ten-mile Oresund Strait,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10to travel from Copenhagen to Malmo in Sweden.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15We are now passing beneath Swedish soil.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16My next stop will be Malmo.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20My Bradshaw's tells me the railway station is on the quay
0:17:20 > 0:17:24close to the landing place of the steamers from Copenhagen.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27In 1917, a bald-headed gentleman might have been seen
0:17:27 > 0:17:31passing through that station on his way to Russia.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34His journey was to have epic consequences.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41'The passenger travelling to his place in history was
0:17:41 > 0:17:45'the Russian revolutionary leader, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55'To find out what he was doing here in Malmo,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58'I'm following his footsteps across the bridge
0:17:58 > 0:18:00'from the station to the Savoy Hotel.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05'Over a drink in the bar there,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07'guide Jacques Schultze tells me more about Lenin.'
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- Hello, Jacques. - Hello, Michael.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Why have we met in the Savoy Hotel?
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Because some people say that he actually spent the night here.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17There is a little bit of discussion about this
0:18:17 > 0:18:19because the old ledgers are unfortunately missing
0:18:19 > 0:18:22so we don't have his signed autograph that he spent the night here
0:18:22 > 0:18:24but we are quite certain at the very least
0:18:24 > 0:18:27he had a traditional Swedish smorgasbord here.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32'Lenin was returning from exile in Zurich to Russia.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38'In February 1917, the hardships of the war had led to
0:18:38 > 0:18:41'a revolution in Russia and the Tsar had abdicated.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46'But for Lenin the revolution was incomplete.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50'Only a takeover by his own Bolshevik faction of communists
0:18:50 > 0:18:54'would guarantee the transformation of Russia into a people's state.'
0:18:54 > 0:18:55Where was Lenin
0:18:55 > 0:18:59when the first revolution occurred in Russia at the beginning of 1917?
0:18:59 > 0:19:01He was still in Switzerland.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03When news reached him of the revolution,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05he saw this as his chance to say,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08"Speed is of the essence. We have to rescue the revolution."
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Of course, Germany was quite interested in this
0:19:10 > 0:19:13because the Russians were still fighting
0:19:13 > 0:19:15and they saw this as a chance to get the Russians
0:19:15 > 0:19:18out of the war by having a proper revolution, so to speak.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21'The Germans saw that a second Bolshevik revolution
0:19:21 > 0:19:24'would take one enemy out of the war
0:19:24 > 0:19:27'so they could concentrate on the Western front.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30'They gave Lenin safe passage by train from Switzerland,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32'through their own country to Scandinavia,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36'from where he could reach Petrograd - now St Petersburg.'
0:19:36 > 0:19:39So, how did he make the journey across Germany?
0:19:39 > 0:19:43He made it in, some people call it the poisonous germ.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46The legend is he was sealed up in a compartment
0:19:46 > 0:19:48so he couldn't spread his revolutionary ideas along the way.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51It was sealed and the story goes that actually
0:19:51 > 0:19:54one part of the compartment, they had a chalk line on the floor
0:19:54 > 0:19:57where they had German soldiers on one side watching him
0:19:57 > 0:20:00so he wouldn't get up to any, well, funny business.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03And the train was sealed in the sense that, of course,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05he wasn't allowed out in Germany
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- and nobody in Germany was allowed onto the train either.- Exactly.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13So, it was like a sealed diplomatic post-box that was sent up
0:20:13 > 0:20:17through Germany and Denmark and then over here.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19So, what were the consequences
0:20:19 > 0:20:23of Lenin's journey from Switzerland, via at the Savoy Hotel in Malmo,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25to St Petersburg?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I would say that the final consequence would be
0:20:28 > 0:20:32the Russian Revolution, when people think of the Russian Revolution
0:20:32 > 0:20:33as the forming of the Soviet state.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37So, really, this German plot of sending a poison chalice,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40this revolutionary back to Russia, was successful
0:20:40 > 0:20:43because after the revolution Russia drops out of the war.
0:20:43 > 0:20:44Yes, of course.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Early morning has brought me to this beautiful place,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08thanks to a reference in my Bradshaw's to the fine pier harbour.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12What a place for bracing sea air and possibly something more.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18The buildings at the end of the pier are the Kallbadhus sauna,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21which was built in 1898.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22The owner, Henrik Klamborn,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26tells me about a fine Swedish custom that takes place here.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31It's quite a tradition, almost quite a cult for the Swedish people,
0:21:31 > 0:21:32this matter of bathing.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Yes, this is almost like a religion.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38When you have a cold bath and you come from the hot sauna
0:21:38 > 0:21:43to the cold water, you feel very good and it's like...
0:21:43 > 0:21:46I don't know what you call it in English, but you must do it again.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- It's like a cigarette. - It's addictive.- Yeah.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- So the tradition is you go from a very hot sauna into cold water.- Yes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57- How hot, how cold? - Between 85 and 95 degrees.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01And in the winter, you have -2, -3.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- And you go from one to the other? - Yes, directly.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Does that kill many people?
0:22:05 > 0:22:08No. Not yet, I hope.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- Let's go and have a sauna. Do I put my swimming trunks on?- No,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16you don't. When you're in the sauna, you don't have any clothes on at all.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- I'm so sorry.- OK.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22- Let's give it a go.- You're welcome.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Across Scandinavia, families go to saunas together
0:22:28 > 0:22:32and seem to have no hang-ups about being naked with the in-laws.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37It's as natural for them as taking a stroll in the park.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43We think of Swedes as being, to put it mildly, pretty relaxed
0:22:43 > 0:22:48about nudity, whether it's saunas or Swedish movies or whatever.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52Is this true? Is this true?
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I don't think Swedes are more...
0:22:56 > 0:23:01What do you call it? The nudity and stuff, more than other countries.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04But I think the films have been more
0:23:04 > 0:23:06giving the wrong idea what Swedes are.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09But, on the other hand, the fact that you do like saunas -
0:23:09 > 0:23:12you say it's a kind of a national religion -
0:23:12 > 0:23:15that does mean a lot of people who don't know each other being naked.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Yes, it is.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19I have to tell you, that would be very un-British.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- It is?- Oh, yeah.- OK.
0:23:22 > 0:23:23On the whole,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26I don't take my clothes off with people I don't know.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Saunas have been part of Scandinavian culture
0:23:32 > 0:23:34for hundreds of years.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38The heat, along with being beaten with birch twigs,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42increases blood circulation and the whole experience climaxes
0:23:42 > 0:23:45with a plunge into freezing cold snow or water.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Time for me to see how my British stiff upper lip
0:23:49 > 0:23:51copes with the experience.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Now for the Scandinavian plunge.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00You didn't really think I'd do the full Swedish monty, did you?
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Aargh!
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Whoa!
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Oh! That is invigorating.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10It is.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14But I'm not sure I'd describe it as addictive.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32'Thawed out and properly dressed, I'm ready to continue my travels.'
0:24:36 > 0:24:39I'm heading 11 miles north-east to the town of Lund.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43It's a ten-minute journey on a line which opened in 1856.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Bradshaw's rather downbeat assessment of my next stop, Lund,
0:24:55 > 0:24:59is, "A quiet town, once much more important."
0:24:59 > 0:25:00But it does go on to say,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03"The Romanesque cathedral, 12th century,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06"is regarded as one of the finest in Sweden."
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Indeed, it could have gone further and said
0:25:09 > 0:25:12it's one of the most historic sites in northern Christendom.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19From the 12th century onwards, pilgrims beat a path
0:25:19 > 0:25:22to Lund Cathedral and, even today,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25it attracts 700,000 visitors each year.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32'I'm meeting Anita Larsson to find out more.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Hello, Michael. Welcome to Lund Cathedral.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Thank you, Anita. It is a stunning building.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42What is the significance of this in Christian history?
0:25:42 > 0:25:48Well, this was actually the central Christian part of Northern Europe
0:25:48 > 0:25:52in the Middle Ages because the Archbishop of Northern Europe
0:25:52 > 0:25:56was placed here and therefore this church was built.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59- Does it have any relics of saints? - There are some interesting relics.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04For example, some drops of the breast milk of Mary, for example.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08- How curious.- Yes.- And has it been altered very much?
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- It looks very complete from the outside.- Yes.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14There were big restorations in the 1800s.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17For example, the western part here with the two towers
0:26:17 > 0:26:21were completely new-built in the 1860s and '70s
0:26:21 > 0:26:25because the medieval towers were in rather bad condition.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27So this is 150 years old
0:26:27 > 0:26:31but the eastern part is complete from the 1100s.
0:26:31 > 0:26:32- How magnificent.- Yes.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44One of the finest features of Lund Cathedral
0:26:44 > 0:26:47is the Horologium Mirabile Lundense,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49which, if my Latin serves me correctly,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52translates as the wondrous timepiece of Lund.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Here in front of you, you have this wonderful clock
0:26:57 > 0:26:59that is in two sections.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Originally, it was built in the 1420s
0:27:02 > 0:27:05but it was restored in the very beginning of the 1900s.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09So, this clock from the 15th century with its signs of the Zodiac,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12what does this tell us about the knowledge that those people had?
0:27:12 > 0:27:15They, of course, had an opinion of the world.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Everyone did not think that the Earth was flat.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21There were people knowing, the scientists, of course, that
0:27:21 > 0:27:24the Earth was round and this is what you can see in the middle.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27So, if you see the screw in the middle up there,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29it is a symbol of the Earth,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33and around the Earth you have the sun, the moon and the stars.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37- So, they're still going round the Earth.- Yes.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39They thought so, actually.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43And we are still saying that the sun is rising and setting,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- even if we know it is not so. - Exactly.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55On the second part of my journey through Scandinavia,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59I discover the tiny origins of one of Sweden's greatest icons...
0:28:05 > 0:28:07..rediscover a powerful waterfall...
0:28:09 > 0:28:11That is spectacular!
0:28:11 > 0:28:14..hear how the British were beaten in the race for the South Pole.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18These skis, which I have taken out from the showcase,
0:28:18 > 0:28:23from the exhibition itself, is Scott's skis.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25- That is extraordinary.- Yeah.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27..and pay homage to the man who brought me here.