Baltics - Part 2 Great Continental Railway Journeys

I'm embarking on a new railway adventure

that will take me beyond the heart of Europe.

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

dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel

for the British tourist.

The guide told the traveller where to go, what to see,

and most importantly, how to navigate the thousands of miles

of track crisscrossing the continent.

Now, a century later,

I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,

but also of high tension.

I want to rediscover that lost Europe that in 1913 couldn't know

that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.

I'm continuing my 700 km Baltic journey through three countries.

I began in Riga, capital of Latvia,

before crossing into Estonia, and the southern city of Valga.

From there, I travelled to Tartu, Estonia's cultural capital.

Now I'm exploring the medieval city of Tallinn.

Next, I'll cross the Gulf of Finland

to visit the daughter of the Baltic, Helsinki.

Journey's end will be Tampere, known as the Manchester of Finland.

'Along the way, the bell tolls for me...

Is it dangerous for the hearing?

No, no. It takes away headache.

That's an enormous noise!

'..I hone my barbecue skills...'

My sausage has burst a bit there. Is that all right?

'..and I find peace on the water.'

Completely different and special moment.

Tallinn has a magnificent collection

of medieval and other historic buildings,

and on a late spring day, when it's warm, everybody's out,

it feels like the whole city is at a party.

All over Tallinn, I see Estonian national identity being celebrated.

But the city today also displays evidence

of its history of subjugation by foreign powers.

It's evident in the architecture

and in the sounds of the city.

BELLS RING

SINGING

Over a quarter of Estonia's 1.4 million-strong population

is of Russian descent,

and the stunning Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral

plays an active role in the city's religious life.

CHANTING IN OWN LANGUAGE

Father Juvenalis. I'm Michael. What a pleasure.

Great pleasure for me also to meet you in our cathedral.

This is a very beautiful cathedral, but actually not very old.

It's now about 120 years.

It was consecrated just in the year, er...1900.

Like many Russian Orthodox cathedrals,

it's named after Alexander Nevsky, the 13th-century Russian prince

glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.

Now, adoringly restored,

its interior is filled with beautiful icons,

dazzlingly covered with gold leaf.

To view one of its greatest treasures requires legwork.

-Oh, wow! This is one enormous bell!

-Yes.

-How big is this bell?

This weighs 1,000 pfund,

and it will be about 16 tonnes.

-16 tonnes of bell!

-Yes.

-Do you ever ring this bell?

Yes, all the great feasts, we ring this bell.

It's called, in Church Slavonic, "Blagaya Vest".

-It means "Good News".

-The Good News Bell.

-Yes.

The bell was made in St Petersburg,

and it was brought here by the railway.

-I shall ring.

-That will be marvellous. Do you think it's...?

-Is it dangerous for the hearing, do you think?

-No, no.

It takes away...headache.

THEY LAUGH

I have experienced this. It takes a little time but it's not difficult.

Even a little boy can do this, and sometimes he IS doing this.

It's an extraordinary feeling

to be waiting here under this enormous bell,

just waiting for the moment when the clapper makes contact,

which is going to be any moment now.

BELL CLANGS

BELL CONTINUES TO VIBRATE

That's an enormous noise!

BELL CLANGS

That thought provides a fitting end to my trip to Estonia

before I head across the Baltic to pick up my rail journey in Finland.

SHIP'S HORN BLARES

'At the time of my guidebook,

'Finland was something of a mystery to British travellers.

'It was a challenge even to procure a map of the country in London.'

So long, Estonia.

I'll always associate you with the outpouring of patriotic song

and the deep resonance of the Good News Bell.

I'm heading out into the Baltic Sea,

for centuries strategically important

to both Germany and Russia,

something that historian Dr Ivo Juurvee knows all about.

-Hello, Ivo. I'm Michael.

-Nice to meet you.

-Good to see you.

So, here we have a map of the Baltic before the First World War.

And Sweden, Germany, the Russian Empire,

including Latvia, Estonia, and Finland.

And it's clear to me that the Baltic is of huge strategic importance

-to Germany and, perhaps even more so, to Russia.

-Indeed.

It was the main gate to the sea for Russia,

or exit of the Russian Empire to the West.

The ports of St Petersburg, Tallinn and Riga had huge importance

in exports and also in imports.

Russia has relatively few ports in the West.

It has these and it has the Black Sea,

and that represents a sort of vulnerability, doesn't it?

Well, more or less. The ports in the far north

were not used much before the First World War.

These sensitive waters were the scene

of a patiently crafted diplomatic meeting in June 1908

between the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II,

and his uncle by marriage, British King Edward VII.

The King was accompanied by Queen Alexandra.

As a precaution against assassination,

they met on board the King's royal yacht,

the Victoria And Albert, in the Bay of Tallinn.

Edward's mission was to strengthen ties between Britain and Russia

and thereby safeguard the delicate balance of power in Europe,

which was increasingly under threat from Germany.

Ever since the fall of communism,

being able to travel freely through the Baltic feels special,

but Russia's annexation of the Crimea has stirred up bad memories

for many, and made Finland and the Baltic countries wary

of their neighbour's intentions.

The entrance to Helsinki harbour,

through a narrow channel, past the ancient fortifications,

is extremely attractive, and as Bradshaw says,

"Numerous small islands contribute to its picturesque appearance."

The guidebook also tells me that it's a Russian grand duchy,

so even before the First World War,

it enjoyed a fair degree of autonomy from the Russian Tsar.

I shall be interested to see

how the national character expressed itself in Finland.

MUSIC: Karelia Suite, by Sibelius

Helsinki, which dates back to the mid-16th century,

became the Finnish capital in 1812,

after Russia wrested Finland away from Swedish control.

MUSIC: Karelia Suite, by Sibelius

I'm in the heart of Helsinki,

but here, at the lakeside, it has the feel of the country.

I'm surrounded by the lapping sea,

with a mass of harbours and hidden bays.

-Hello.

-Hi, you want to join?

-May I share your fire?

-Please do so.

You can show me how... how to do this.

-Yeah, I will. Blanket is a good start.

-Very good start.

You notice that our summers are a bit chilly every once in a while.

-Those look really good.

-Yeah.

-Is this a local custom?

Yeah, absolutely. People come...

This is kind of like a cafe, here on the coastline, so people come

and sit down, grill a bit of the sausages, see the sunset, you know.

I've just arrived, but it seems a special kind of city,

with a lake in the centre, and this feeling of being, I don't know,

out in the rural areas, when you're in the city.

Well, that's what they say. We are a sea-like city,

so there's this big bay area in the middle.

-It looks like a lake but it's actually the sea.

-Is it?

So, it's a nature reserve.

I think, in Helsinki, nature's always very close.

We have lots of cultural things, cultural venues,

but always the green areas and everything

are in our hearts, I would say.

My sausage has burst a bit there. Is that all right?

Yeah, that's the thing. Just don't put it too close to the fire.

That's looking good.

Yeah, I think you just put some mustard on the top,

and you're good to go.

You know, some people are very sensitive with a bit of mustard,

but I just put it all over.

Mmm, tastes so good, doesn't it, from the charcoal fire?

Yeah, I think, when you're outdoors as well.

You get a different appetite when you are sitting outside.

-It's the place as well.

-Mmm.

And with your help, I cooked that really well.

Well done.

CHURCH BELLS TOLL

This beautiful morning finds me in what Bradshaw's describes as,

"A fine square, the Senate Square,

"with imposing public buildings on each side."

And they are the University, the Cathedral, and the Senate.

And this square is the very heart of Finnish nationalism.

The Finns, with their own institutions,

enjoyed a good deal of self-government,

by comparison with the Latvians and the Estonians,

and their independence was increased by this Russian Tsar, Alexander II.

When, in 1899, his grandson tightened the Russian grip

on Finland, protesting Finns came here and laid flowers

at the feet of the man they called the "Good Tsar".

MUSIC: Symphony No 2 In D Major, by Sibelius

'And just as in Estonia,

'music would help to propel the Finns towards independence.

'I'm meeting Vesa Ruotonen

'at the city's historic Kamp Hotel,

'a favourite haunt in the late 19th century of Jean Sibelius,

'surely Finland's greatest composer.'

-Skol.

-Skol.

So, is it suitable to be drinking champagne while discussing Sibelius?

Oh, yes! He was here, actually, always drinking the champagne.

You know, he could stay here for a couple of weeks.

Why is it that Sibelius is so important to Finns?

He did put the Finnish soul into the music,

and he was also a person that his music followed the

national development of the country. And here, the political

and the national and the arts were going the same way,

and Sibelius was the leading person with his Finlandia,

which is actually kind of the ideal

of what it is to be free and what it is to be Finn.

MUSIC: Finlandia Op 26, by Sibelius

Sibelius was born in 1865

and, although his mother wanted him to study law, his passion was music.

He became an accomplished violinist

before devoting himself to composition.

He wrote seven symphonies and a violin concerto,

as well as Finlandia.

His music reflects the nature and also the nature of the Finns

and human nature displayed all over the world nowadays.

Sibelius also composed lyrical pieces, like this beautiful romance.

MUSIC PLAYS

But in 1899, he turned his hand to music

about the struggle of the Finns to rid themselves of Russian rule.

Very lovely. Hello, I'm Michael.

-Hello, I'm Emilia.

-Emilia.

-Hello.

-Very good to see you.

Vesa, Finlandia comes at a really key moment.

Yeah, when it came out, people immediately understood the message.

It's beautiful music, but it's also a sign for the Finns

that we have to be united now, to get free.

HE PLAYS EXTRACT FROM FINLANDIA BY SIBELIUS

-That's the Russians.

-Right.

We've got a few bars, and then comes the choral.

This is what the Finns are singing - "God, do something. Help us."

HE PLAYS EXTRACT FROM FINLANDIA BY SIBELIUS

"Why you did not help? Now we Finns have to fight for the freedom."

HE PLAYS EXTRACT FROM FINLANDIA BY SIBELIUS

After the victorious battle,

now we are finally free to sing the anthem, Finlandia.

THEY PLAY EXTRACT FROM FINLANDIA BY SIBELIUS

Resistance against the Russians gathered strength,

until, as Russia was taken over by the Bolsheviks in 1917,

the Finnish parliament declared the nation's independence.

It was as if, with Finlandia,

Sibelius had supplied his country with a national hymn.

Even at the railway station,

I find a celebration of what it is to be Finnish.

Helsinki's magnificent railway station was designed

by a friend of Jean Sibelius, called Eliel Saarinen.

His original idea was a kind of romantic

19th-century-style building,

but in the political turmoil of the early 20th century,

when Finland was wrestling with its Russian oppressor,

he came up with a different design - something very 20th century,

something very modern, uniquely Finnish,

and so, in a way, this building is also highly political.

I'm back on track, heading north to the city of Tampere,

just over one-and-a-half hours away by train.

'These new high-speed Italian tilting trains

'are fast and comfortable, and I particularly love that the interior

'has been designed to blend with my jacket.'

-PA:

-'Ladies and gentlemen,

'this is a Pendolino train via Tampere and Jyvaskyla to Kuopio.'

In the middle of the 19th century,

Finns had to decide where to build their first railway line.

Russophiles favoured one from Helsinki to St Petersburg,

while nationalists thought one should be built

to promote domestic economic activity.

In the end, the first one opened on this line in 1862,

between Helsinki and the Finnish town of Hameenlinna,

and the one to Russia had to wait another eight years.

-PA:

-'The next stop - Tampere.'

Tampere is a city built on the power of water.

The rushing rapids of the Tammerkoski River

drive the city's imposing 19th-century mills.

It's retained many of its factories,

and its paper mills still supply much of Finland's paper.

But surrounding what's become known as the Manchester of Finland

are 200 beautiful lakes...

..perfect to allow me to feel what it's like to be free and Finnish.

When the days get longer, the Finns take to their country houses,

and to the lakeside, in order to commune with nature,

and although I'm a city boy, I thought I'd give it a go.

First, heat your hot tub with freshly chopped wood.

Then remove tarpaulin from hot tub.

Aha!

Stir the water,

in order to mix the hot at the top with the cold at the bottom.

Now, all is ready.

'It's 11:00 at night and sunset,

'and I begin to experience an iconic Finnish natural phenomenon -

'the white nights, when there is light throughout the 24 hours.

'With long, cold, dark winters,

'summer in Finland is about being outside.'

What better thing to do... Argh!

..than to get into a hot tub

and enjoy a cloudberry liqueur known as a lakka?

Why...

..would the people of this country, in the middle of the night,

get into hot water and drink alcohol?

Because this is the way that a day must finish.

I don't find it easy to sleep when it's daylight all night,

but breakfast with this beautiful view and the fresh air

and the stiff breeze coming off the lake, that really wakes me up.

-Hello, canoeists!

-Hello, Michael.

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-Nice to see you, Michael.

-Oh, it's lovely to see YOU. Come alongside.

'I'm being met by canoe guides Liisa and Pekka Tyllila.'

Isn't it beautiful?

-It's nice weather today for canoeing.

-It looks perfect.

'Seeing the world from the bow of a silent canoe is truly special.'

This is an extraordinary moment for me,

because I'm hearing something that I never hear,

which is silence...

if you discount the sound of the birds,

and the wind moving across the lake.

Completely different and special moment.

Absolutely exceptional in my existence.

Liisa, what's the name of this lake?

Vuokalanjarvi.

Vuokalanjarvi.

Fine! Perfect! You are almost a Finn.

THEY LAUGH

How long have Finns been canoeing, Liisa?

Well, it started, actually, in 1891,

when a minister of finances, August Ramsay, published his book.

'With over 180,000 lakes in Finland to paddle, August Ramsay's guide

'encouraged Finns to take to canoes for leisure.'

So, I find the stories very interesting

and it tells how it was.

And did you see the first picture, where the canoeing men,

they're helped by women to carry the canoes?

THEY LAUGH

So, that was one way to get to know young women in the countryside.

But also, actually, you Finns gave equality to women

very early on, didn't you?

Yes, Finland is the third country to give women the right to vote,

so the girls from countryside moved to towns

and started to get salary.

They became independent, and that was the big step.

And they earned the right to carry the canoe as well.

LIISA LAUGHS

Well, not so many Finnish ladies do that.

-I like your book, it's beautifully illustrated.

-Yeah?

It's a sort of Finnish canoeing Bradshaw's.

A century ago, the Bradshaw's visitor to the Baltic region

of the Russian Empire heard the cry for freedom.

In Riga, demonstrators had recently been massacred,

in Estonia, choirs sang about liberty,

whilst, in Finland,

the music of Jean Sibelius longed for independence.

The 20th century brought the region moments of joy

and periods of catastrophe, until, in the 1980s,

a singing revolution helped to restore self-government.

These peoples eventually triumphed,

not through force of arms or numbers,

but because of the strength of their national cultures.

'Next time...'

This is absolutely terrifying.

'..I'll need some Dutch courage.'

THUD

Ha-ha!

I didn't expect that! We got a hole in one.

'And I'll root around the world's largest flower auction...'

Tell me there are some rules here, right?

There are some rules of the road, are there?

Well, they SAY they have traffic rules.

'..before tilting at windmills.'

30,000 kilos, and I haven't even broken a sweat.