0:00:03 > 0:00:06'I'm embarking on a new railway adventure
0:00:06 > 0:00:09'that will take me beyond the heart of Europe.'
0:00:11 > 0:00:15I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide,
0:00:15 > 0:00:20dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel
0:00:20 > 0:00:22for the British tourist.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26'The guide told the traveller where to go, what to see
0:00:26 > 0:00:29'and, most importantly, how to navigate the thousands of miles of
0:00:29 > 0:00:32'track criss-crossing the Continent.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34'Now, a century later,
0:00:34 > 0:00:39'I'm using my copy to reveal an era of optimism and energy,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43'but also of high tension.'
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I want to rediscover that lost Europe that, in 1913,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49couldn't know that its way of life
0:00:49 > 0:00:53would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.
0:01:07 > 0:01:13I'm using my Bradshaw's to explore some of Europe's northern reaches.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17100 years ago, the few Britons who ventured through these parts
0:01:17 > 0:01:21found beautiful cities and natural wonders.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25I'm beginning a rail journey through the Baltic Sea region,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28passing through Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31A century ago, those countries
0:01:31 > 0:01:34long vulnerable to domination by their larger neighbours
0:01:34 > 0:01:37were nationally self-conscious,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40although part of the Tsar's vast empire.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45They chafed against attempts to make them conform to Russian ways.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50If Russia went to war with Germany, they would fight over the Baltic,
0:01:50 > 0:01:56but, out of the chaos, new independent states might emerge.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00The Bradshaw traveller might have sensed hope for the future.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11'My journey starts in Riga, capital of Latvia.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14'Then I travel north, crossing the border into Estonia,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18'bound for Tartu, the nation's cultural capital.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20'Heading back to the Baltic Sea,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23'I'll explore the medieval city of Tallinn,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25'before crossing the Gulf of Finland
0:02:25 > 0:02:29'to visit the daughter of the Baltic, Helsinki.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34'Journey's end will be Tampere, known as the Manchester of Finland.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39'This time, I'm caught up in a macabre medieval tournament...'
0:02:39 > 0:02:42They're striking at each other with their swords.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47They're using their shields to strike each other's throats.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51'..I learn how song has shaped Estonian history...'
0:02:53 > 0:02:57For us, music is what we believe in.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00'And take an invigorating dip in the Baltic Sea...'
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Argh! It's...
0:03:02 > 0:03:06absolutely freezing!
0:03:08 > 0:03:10My first stop will be Riga.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Bradshaw's tells me it's about five miles inland, up the River Dvina.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17"Among the Russian Baltic cities,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21"it's second only to St Petersburg in commercial importance."
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Indeed, there had been a population explosion in Riga,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29making it one of the Russian Empire's largest cities
0:03:29 > 0:03:32and its busiest port.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35I am excited to be setting foot in Latvia
0:03:35 > 0:03:37for the first time in my life.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55I imagine early-20th-century travellers also feeling the thrill.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05The city's position on the estuary of the River Dvina, or Daugava,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09helped to turn Riga into a trading centre.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13But her fortunes and identity were defined by her powerful neighbours -
0:04:13 > 0:04:16the rival empires of Germany and Russia.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22An intriguing reference in my Bradshaw's
0:04:22 > 0:04:25is that among the inhabitants are many Germans -
0:04:25 > 0:04:27not Russians but Germans.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30And here I am, in the Town Hall Square.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35Bradshaw's points out the lofty tower of the Church of St Peter's
0:04:35 > 0:04:39and the Hall of the Blackheads of Riga.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43And now you look at it, it's as German as sauerkraut.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Latvia fell wholly under Russian control
0:04:50 > 0:04:53by the end of the 18th century but, prior to that,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56the country had been ruled by German Christian crusaders.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00The 14th-century Brotherhood of Blackheads
0:05:00 > 0:05:03was a Riga guild for German merchants.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10But that German footprint soon fades away once you leave the old town.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13'I'm keen to learn more about the history of the city
0:05:13 > 0:05:16'with historian Juris Berze.'
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- Hello, Juris.- Hello.- I'm Michael. - Juris. Nice to meet you.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21- What a lovely tram!- Yes, indeed.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23It's a lovely original vehicle
0:05:23 > 0:05:26from one of the first Riga tramlines of 1901.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- Magnificent.- Yes, absolutely.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33- Looks like I am being put to work here.- Yes.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36We've got to change the points, I assume, like that.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Ah, done. Good.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45- And now...we have to change the wire, yeah?- This and this.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- From this wire to that wire? - Yes.- OK, here we go.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- Pull the ring towards the end.- Yeah.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56I've got to go onto this wire here.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- OK.- Good, thank you very much. We're ready to go.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11It runs very well for such an old tram.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Well, because it has been well-maintained.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20What sort of city was Riga in 1913?
0:06:20 > 0:06:23It might appear to be just one large construction site,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27with dozens of new, modern and sophisticated,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30mostly Art Nouveau style, apartment buildings,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34going up just on every other street of the city centre.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Riga was experiencing an industrial boom.
0:06:39 > 0:06:45According to my Bradshaw's, its population reached 300,000 in 1911.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48By 1913, it exceeded half a million.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Riga was growing into one of the largest Russian imperial cities.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59It was well-connected by railways to even distant parts of Russia,
0:06:59 > 0:07:03which greatly facilitated transportation of raw materials
0:07:03 > 0:07:06to those dozens of newly built factories.
0:07:08 > 0:07:14But the facade of prosperity masked a recent period of unrest,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16sparked by deepening economic crisis in Russia.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23On 9th January 1905, in St Petersburg,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25more than 100 people were killed
0:07:25 > 0:07:29when the Imperial Guard opened fire on a peaceful demonstration.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Certainly, the massacre at St Petersburg had
0:07:34 > 0:07:36a serious consequence in Riga
0:07:36 > 0:07:40and maybe, unlike anywhere else in the region, in the eastern Baltics,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Riga had tens of thousands of proletarian-class people
0:07:43 > 0:07:47who, of course, were very eager to improve their living conditions
0:07:47 > 0:07:50as well, and they went on the streets to demonstrate
0:07:50 > 0:07:51and to demand a better life.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Four days later, a large crowd of workers
0:07:56 > 0:07:59from Riga's textile mills and docks marched
0:07:59 > 0:08:01onto the frozen Daugava River.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03What they did not expect,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07that the soldiers lined up along the embankment, would open fire,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09not to let them enter the city centre.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11And when that happened,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14the ice partly broke and many people got drowned.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15It was a big tragedy.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20It's clear that more than 70 people were killed and 200 injured,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23but no-one knows how many drowned.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26The uprising was an important moment
0:08:26 > 0:08:29in Latvia's long struggle for independence.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Finally, following the Allied victory in the First World War,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Latvians got their first taste of liberty.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40It's a very impressive monument.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Well, I would not exaggerate to say
0:08:42 > 0:08:45that this monument is the symbol of Latvian freedom,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49the symbol of the hopes and passion of the people of this country.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54The lady on the top of the monument is named Milda by people.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56She is an allegory to freedom,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00while the three golden stars are the symbols
0:09:00 > 0:09:03of the three historic provinces of Latvia.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08The 42-metre-high monument was built to honour soldiers killed
0:09:08 > 0:09:13during the Latvian War of Independence in 1918.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15And although it was almost demolished in 1940,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18following the Soviet occupation,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21it has remained a symbol of Latvian liberty.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24This street is called Freedom Street today,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27but in the course of the 20th century,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29the name of the street has been changed several times.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33So until the First World War, for the period of 1913,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36it would be called, by the Tsar, Alexander Street.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39After the establishment of the Latvian state,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43it was then renamed Freedom Street or Brivibas Iela.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47During the Nazi occupation, it was called Adolf Hitler Strasse,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51while when the Soviets re-entered the country,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55they preferred to change the name to Lenin Street.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59But in the year 1991, as the Latvian state was re-established,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03it was once again started to be called Freedom Street.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05So, really, the recent history of Latvia
0:10:05 > 0:10:08can be read in the name of this street.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Absolutely. You're absolutely right. It is more than symbolic.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21'Today, independent Riga is a cultural hub.'
0:10:24 > 0:10:26And in the middle of this proud city, in hangars
0:10:26 > 0:10:30originally built to house zeppelin airships, is the central market.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38The perfect place to pick up a picnic for my journey.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45If I could stay, there would be many more treasures to see,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48since Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage city.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53But I must press on north to Estonia.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12This line was built in the 19th century
0:11:12 > 0:11:14to connect Riga with St Petersburg,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17at a time when all Baltic trains ran towards Russia.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27So even today, if you want to travel
0:11:27 > 0:11:30between the Baltic capitals of Riga and Tallinn,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32there are no through services.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40- Hello.- Hello.- Hello, do you mind if I sit here?- Sure.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Um...
0:11:43 > 0:11:45BOTTLES CLINK
0:11:45 > 0:11:50- That's a promising sound, isn't it? - Empty bottles?- No, no, full bottles.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54- And what else have I got in here? - Oh.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- What is this? - In Latvian, it's called "vobla".
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Vobla. Ah.- Yes.- And is it good?
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Yeah, it's good with beer.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- With beer, OK.- Yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Would you like to explain to me how you eat this thing?
0:12:09 > 0:12:14You don't need to eat it, if you like. You need to chew it.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18- Chew it, yes.- Yes. - I can believe that, yes.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20You want to take off the head.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21FISH CRUNCHES
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- Nice crackling sound as the head comes off.- Yes.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29- Quite smelly.- Yeah.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- It's quite a tough old fish. - Yeah, yeah.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Argh!
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Mmm.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Mmm, it's not bad.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- It's very tough, isn't it? - Yes, it is tough.- Very, very...
0:12:50 > 0:12:54And it's also really salty. That's why you need beer.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56That's why I need beer. Let's have some beer.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04- And is it unusual to eat it on a train?- Very unusual.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:13:05 > 0:13:07The first time in my life eating fish on a train.
0:13:09 > 0:13:16- We're heading for Estonia, but we have to change at Valga.- Yeah.- Mmm.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20- No through train. - No, not yet. Building.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Well, in the phase of development, early phase of development.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- Is that right?- Rail Baltica.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32Come here 2020, then you can reach from Tallinn to Berlin directly.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38'Exciting times, because this high-speed train project
0:13:38 > 0:13:40'will, for the first time ever,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44'integrate the Baltic States into the Western European rail network.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54'While I allow the vobla to settle, there's time to enjoy the scenery.'
0:14:15 > 0:14:20I've arrived in Valga on the border between Latvia and Estonia.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24This is an Estonian train. Actually, I'm IN Estonia.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I've arrived here without any passport control or customs.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Nowadays, frontiers count for so little,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33but the station is still quite grand,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37reminiscent of a time when frontier towns mattered.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41I'm looking forward to exploring Estonia in the morning.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51A new day, and I'm heading to the cultural capital
0:14:51 > 0:14:55of Estonia, Tartu, about an hour away.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13My first stop today will be Tartu,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17which Bradshaw's tells me is an important university city.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19That could be a good place to investigate
0:15:19 > 0:15:22the origins of Estonian national feeling.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25What was it that first made Estonians
0:15:25 > 0:15:28lift up their patriotic hearts?
0:15:28 > 0:15:32CHOIR SINGS TRADITIONAL ESTONIAN SONG
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Tartu is an historic university city,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50rather like Britain's Oxford or Cambridge.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Which may explain why, in 1869,
0:15:55 > 0:16:00it became home to the first ever Estonian National Song Festival.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04CHOIR SINGS TRADITIONAL ESTONIAN SONG
0:16:10 > 0:16:15A celebration of the Estonian nation's language and culture,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19in defiance of German influence and Russian rule.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22# Ta lendab lillest
0:16:22 > 0:16:25# Lillesse
0:16:25 > 0:16:32# Ja lendab mesipuu poole
0:16:32 > 0:16:34# Ja touseb... #
0:16:34 > 0:16:39This love of singing is in the Estonian DNA
0:16:39 > 0:16:43and visitors to Estonia at the turn of the 20th century
0:16:43 > 0:16:46would have heard the sound of thousands of voices
0:16:46 > 0:16:48on National Song Festival day.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52MUSIC: Ta Lendab Mesipuu Poole
0:16:52 > 0:16:53'I'm heading to the lower town
0:16:53 > 0:16:57'with its dramatic 13th-century ruined cathedral
0:16:57 > 0:17:00'to hear a choir, made up of singers from Tartu.'
0:17:00 > 0:17:02# Nii hing, oh hing
0:17:02 > 0:17:07# Sa raskel a'al
0:17:07 > 0:17:14# Kuis ohkad sa isamaa poole
0:17:14 > 0:17:17# Kas kodu sa
0:17:17 > 0:17:21# Kas vooral maal
0:17:21 > 0:17:29# Kuis ihkad isamaa poole
0:17:29 > 0:17:33# Kuis ihkad isamaa
0:17:33 > 0:17:39# Poole. #
0:17:42 > 0:17:46APPLAUSE
0:17:46 > 0:17:50That was absolutely marvellous. You're all singing with your hearts.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52What were you singing about?
0:17:52 > 0:17:58It was about, um, our fatherland, flying back to the bee house,
0:17:58 > 0:18:04so it's like...imaginary fatherland for him or her.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07And this is, yeah,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11a really important song in Estonia and for Estonian singers.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15All the singing festivals usually end with this song.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20- How did you feel singing that song? - It was really holy-like.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24- For us, music is what we believe in, for Estonians.- What is it?
0:18:24 > 0:18:27What does it mean to you in your life? Is it very important?
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Music is almost everything to me,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33especially to sing with all my friends
0:18:33 > 0:18:39and the crowd stands up and everyone cries and it's amazing.
0:18:39 > 0:18:47# Kuis ihkad isamaa poole. #
0:18:51 > 0:18:56The extraordinary power of the voice was proved again by Estonians
0:18:56 > 0:19:00in August 1989, when Estonia was united in song
0:19:00 > 0:19:04in what's become known as the "Singing Revolution".
0:19:04 > 0:19:08I'm meeting Tartu University professor Marju Lauristin,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11a former senior politician in the Estonian parliament
0:19:11 > 0:19:14who played a pivotal part in the revolution.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16So, Marju, what role did singing play
0:19:16 > 0:19:19in liberating Estonia from the Soviet Union?
0:19:19 > 0:19:24I would say that it played a very important role in two senses.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27One is direct one, meaning singing,
0:19:27 > 0:19:32and the first big this kind of political singing night
0:19:32 > 0:19:37was in June '88, in Tallinn, in the big Song Festival arena,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40when young people started to gather spontaneously,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43singing patriotic songs, waving national flags,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46which then were prohibited still in the Soviet Union.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49And it was like the start of the whole Singing Revolution.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51And then, after that, very soon,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55we had the first political gathering at the Song Festival,
0:19:55 > 0:20:00with speeches, already demands for independence, for democracy.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03And during Soviet time, Soviets, in this sense,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05they didn't understand the meaning of that.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09And they alluded, "Oh, it's ancient tradition, 19th century,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11"it doesn't matter."
0:20:11 > 0:20:14But this vocal and peaceful cry for freedom
0:20:14 > 0:20:18led to a striking demonstration of solidarity.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22The Baltic Chain is the most spectacular event
0:20:22 > 0:20:24of the Baltic Singing Revolution.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29People standing on the roads through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32holding hands, together demonstrating
0:20:32 > 0:20:35their willingness for freedom.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Two million Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian people joined hands
0:20:41 > 0:20:46to create an unbroken human chain, stretching 360 miles,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49from Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, to Tallinn.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57It was a spectacular thing because people, really,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01they came from every place in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03with cars, with bicycles.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Everybody knew where is this kilometre they have to reach
0:21:06 > 0:21:10and find other people and it has also become the symbol now
0:21:10 > 0:21:11for the younger generation.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14They feel that it was very special, feeling this kind of unity.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18- And you were there.- I was there but I wasn't in the forest,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21because I happened then to be the
0:21:21 > 0:21:24vice speaker of the Estonian parliament
0:21:24 > 0:21:28and I was standing on the top of Parliament House.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31We have the big tower called Tall Hermann,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36and I was saying, "Freedom, freedom, freedom," in three languages.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39It was a very big moment in my life.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55After such stirring conviviality,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I resume the journey alone, on a train taking me
0:21:58 > 0:22:02to the principal city of this remarkable country.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07My next stop will be Tallinn, which Bradshaw's tells me
0:22:07 > 0:22:11is a naval port and capital of Estonia,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14with a gothic cathedral from 1329.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19It attracts many tourists looking for its medieval sites.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21There are good views from the heights.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25The city looks out due north over the Gulf of Finland.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Until the late 20th century, that view was skewed to the East,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31but now very much to the West.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41This brand-new high-speed Swiss-built train
0:22:41 > 0:22:44contrasts sharply with the early Russian steam trains.
0:23:00 > 0:23:06Tallinn is on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08First settled more than 3,000 years ago,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11it's one of the oldest cities in Northern Europe.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Tallinn has a magnificent collection
0:23:32 > 0:23:35of medieval and other historic buildings
0:23:35 > 0:23:39and on a late spring day, when it's warm, everybody's out,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42it feels like the whole city is at a party.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47And it turns out that's exactly right,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50because within these fairy-tale walls and towers,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Tallinn is celebrating its week-long annual festival,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Tallinn Old Town Days,
0:23:56 > 0:24:01when the city is taken over by an entertaining mix of markets,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05concerts and even medieval tournaments.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I've walked into a medieval joust
0:24:11 > 0:24:15and what is clear is that these people are taking it seriously.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17They're really fighting.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20They're striking at each other with their swords,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23they're using their shields to strike each other's throats.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25They really mean to win.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Why are you here? What is all this about?
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Well, it's a sport competition.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Knight fighting.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45It's part of Old Tallinn Days' events and we come to fight,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48participate, compete and take all the gold.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50- Where have you come from?- Israel.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Here you can see people from Ukraine, Belarus,
0:24:53 > 0:24:58Russia, Poland, Finland, and in other events,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00you can see people even from America and Latin America.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02It seems to be very brutal.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- You really hit each other with your swords.- Yes.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- You really knee each other. - It's martial arts.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11- So, it looks like your nose got a bit damaged.- A little bit.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14- It's a small one. - What happened to your nose?
0:25:14 > 0:25:19My mask, it touched my nose and, like, press a little bit.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21The fight's getting very close to us here.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24- It's really professional fight. - Ah! They're down.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31At the time of my guidebook,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34visitors to Tallinn were drawn here
0:25:34 > 0:25:36less for the knights in shining armour,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38more for the city's seaside appeal.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45'Trains from nearby St Petersburg
0:25:45 > 0:25:49'brought Russian holidaymakers into the Estonian city.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56'But while the Baltic Sea is calm, it can also be very cold.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00'In harsh winters, swimmers contend with swathes of ice.'
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Amongst the attractions of Tallinn, according to Bradshaw's,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09bathing in the Baltic Sea.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12You'd have to be a lunatic to go in before midsummer.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Hello!
0:26:16 > 0:26:19'But these fine men in trunks are cold-water thrill-seekers,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21'who belong to the Tallinn Ice Swimming Club.'
0:26:23 > 0:26:25So I assume that you prefer swimming in the summer
0:26:25 > 0:26:27when it's nice and warm.
0:26:27 > 0:26:34- No, actually, summer is the saddest time for us.- Why?
0:26:34 > 0:26:36It's just not cold enough
0:26:36 > 0:26:40and we don't get this kind of cold kick from swimming
0:26:40 > 0:26:42if it's zero or even minus one.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Some people compare it with narcotics, to get this ice "high".
0:26:48 > 0:26:50On this spring day, the temperature in the Baltic Sea
0:26:50 > 0:26:55hovers around 11 Celsius - pretty cold by British standards.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00- Ready?- Ready.- OK.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Argh!
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Argh!
0:27:07 > 0:27:12Argh! It's...absolutely freezing!
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Argh!
0:27:14 > 0:27:16'Perhaps I shouldn't give myself
0:27:16 > 0:27:20'such a hard time, because amongst these swimmers is Henri Karma,
0:27:20 > 0:27:22'an ice swimming champion.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29'He's swum just over 2km in water that was only zero degrees.'
0:27:29 > 0:27:32My new, rather mad friends,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34have been out in the sea now for ten minutes.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37I can tell you that the Baltic Sea delivers quite a kick
0:27:37 > 0:27:44but, luckily, the Baltic region also supplies an antidote called balsam.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47'A traditional spirit of herbs and vodka.'
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Mmm.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Said once to have revived Catherine the Great,
0:27:52 > 0:27:54and I don't think she'd been in the sea.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01'Next time, my travels continue through the Baltic countries
0:28:01 > 0:28:04'and Finland, when the bell tolls for me.'
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Is it dangerous for the hearing, do you think?
0:28:06 > 0:28:10No, no. It takes away headache.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15That's an enormous noise!
0:28:15 > 0:28:18'I hone my barbecue skills...'
0:28:18 > 0:28:21My sausage has burst a bit there. Is that all right?
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'..and find peace on the water.'
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Completely different and special moment.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Subtitles by Ericsson