Transylvania to the Black Sea Great Continental Railway Journeys


Transylvania to the Black Sea

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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,

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

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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

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the thousands of miles of tracks to cross 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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but also of high tension.

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I want to rediscover that lost Europe that in 1913

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

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by the advent of war.

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This journey takes me to the most eastern reaches of Europe.

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Although one of its youngest nations,

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recognised as a kingdom only in 1881,

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Romania's situation and natural resources

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attracted the attention of the great powers

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in the years before the First World War.

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"Romania is a modern kingdom,

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"formerly a Turkish principality," says my Bradshaw's Guide.

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That kingdom was only about 30 years old.

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1913 brought important territorial gains for Romania

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as the old Turkish Ottoman Empire crumbled.

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But Romania was still the slow train of Europe.

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It had a backward agricultural economy

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with some astonishing touches of modernity.

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Today, I feel as though I'm visiting a new country again

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because, less than 30 years ago, the old communist dictator Ceausescu

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was killed, setting Romania free.

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And, like my equivalent traveller of a century ago,

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I'm prepared for some surprises.

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My route will begin in the Transylvanian town of Brasov.

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I take in vampires and castles,

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before visiting a fairytale palace in Sinaia.

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I strike oil in Ploiseti

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and uncover a moving story in the capital, Bucharest,

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before ending my trip on the Black Sea in the port of Constanta.

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'Along the way, I experience a rare and beautiful wilderness...'

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Wake up. Did you sleep well?

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I feel really very privileged to see this magnificent animal in the wild.

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Thank you very much.

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'..marvel at some 100-year-old technology...

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That enormous roof just swishes aside. It's wonderful.

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'..test my head for heights...

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Whoa, this is scary.

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I've got the shakes.

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'..and find a kindred spirit in Dracula.'

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"I found the Count lying on the sofa

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"reading an English Bradshaw's Guide."

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Everybody needed a Bradshaw's Guide,

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even if you were a bloodsucking vampire.

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My first stop will be Brasov.

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Bradshaw's tells me, "It's a finely situated and important commercial town."

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It's in Transylvania

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which, a century ago, was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

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In the Middle Ages, a bold warrior battled against the Ottoman Turks.

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With a name like Vlad the Impaler,

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he might find a place in any heart.

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Brasov is the gateway to Transylvania.

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It's surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains

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at the meeting point of the three ancient principalities

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of Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia.

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Bradshaw's draws my attention to the enormous parish church

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of the 14th to 16th century

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and the town hall with its tower 190ft tall.

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I'm in eastern Europe and it doesn't feel like it.

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The town was colonised by Saxons, so the architecture is Germanic.

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It was protected against the Ottoman Turks by fortifications

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and Transylvania was never Islamic.

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In Christian Church terms, it was Western rather than Orthodox.

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Brasov is a sort of gateway

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between Occidental and Oriental Europe.

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The immaculately well-preserved old town

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has made Brasov one of the most visited places in Romania.

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Here's a tip. Bradshaw's says that "From the mountain,

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"which is now called the Timpa,

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"3,153ft high on the west side of the town,

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"is a very fine view."

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That's where I'm headed.

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I'm following my guidebook up to a point.

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In 1913, reaching the peak would have entailed

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a one-hour hike up the slope,

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but that's because this splendid cable car hadn't yet been built.

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What's so striking from up here is an immense contrast.

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In the old town, the beautiful tawny roofs.

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On the outskirts, the hideous white tower blocks of the communist era.

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It is a tale of two cities.

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I'm leaving Brasov and taking a regional train

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further into the Carpathians.

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I'm on my way to Bran Castle.

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There's literary evidence that Bradshaw's Guide

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was read in Transylvania a century ago.

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After all, it is a book you can get your TEETH into

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and the information it contains, you can COUNT on.

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There was a storm overnight and because of that, the mountains today

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are spectacularly clear and they just seem to come out of nowhere.

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Set in a natural amphitheatre on a dramatic hilltop,

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I find the magnificent Bran Castle.

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It was built in the 14th century to defend Transylvania

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from repeated Ottoman invasion.

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By the time of my guidebook, it had become the inspiration

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for one of the most popular of all Gothic novels,

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Bram Stoker's Dracula.

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THUNDERCLAP

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In the shadow of this menacing fortification,

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I'm meeting my guide, Mattei.

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-Hello, Mattei.

-Hello, Michael.

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Do you know, all my life I've wanted to see this castle

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and I am not disappointed. It is marvellous.

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Had Bram Stoker ever seen it?

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Well, Bram Stoker, as far as we know,

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he never visited Transylvania or Romania,

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but he had lots of information at the Royal Library in London

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and the British Museum.

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What were Stoker's sources for his book?

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Well, at the very beginning,

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he had an idea to publish a book about a monster.

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He used the name Count Wampyr at the beginning. It was a novel.

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He didn't have the huge success, though.

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Then he realised that the most important ingredient about the monster,

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it's obviously the name.

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And he discovered the legend of Vlad the Impaler,

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better known as Dracula.

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When he found out what Dracula means.

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In Romanian, it's "Dracul", the devil.

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"Dracula", the devil's son.

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With a name like Dracula, you don't have to be a good writer.

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Was there a vampire myth in Transylvania

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from which Bram Stoker drew inspiration?

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Oh, yes, in the dark period of the 18th-century,

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it was a vampire frenzy in Transylvania.

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The priest will decide that the person died.

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The priest will come with the mirror, "Oh, he's not breathing. He's dead. OK."

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A ceremony and then they put them in a coffin.

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Obviously, some of them were not really dead.

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A day later the person was coming out from the grave, digging -

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it was easy to dig and they had enough oxygen -

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coming back knocking at the door, "I'm home."

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Imagine the family after so many stories

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with creatures of the night. They thought, "He's a vampire."

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So Bram Stoker collect all these legends and stories

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about superstition in Transylvania

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and it come out a great book.

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First published in 1897, the book and subsequent films

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became hugely popular throughout the world,

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except in Romania.

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Under communism, the book was banned,

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as was any reference to the supernatural.

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Today, the fictional associations of Bran Castle

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are an important attraction to visitors like me.

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Well, here we are in Count Dracula's library.

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Yes, and I have a copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula

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and there is a line over here that I guess you will be interested in.

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"The lamps were also lit in the study or library

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"and I found the Count lying on the sofa reading,

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"of all things in the world,

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"an English Bradshaw's Guide."

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I knew about this passage,

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but do you know why he was consulting an English Bradshaw's Guide?

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He had a plan to send from Whitby to London King's Cross Station

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50 Transylvanian coffins with Transylvanian earth inside

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for him to be able to survive

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and he's looked inside the English Bradshaw's Guide

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to find a schedule of the trains.

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You see, in the 19th century, everybody needed a Bradshaw's,

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even if you were a bloodsucking vampire.

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Yes, I guess you are right.

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I've escaped unscathed and journey on

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on a form of transport which would have been familiar

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to the 1913 traveller.

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Still a common sight in Transylvania.

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My guidebook says of the Carpathian Mountains,

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"Snow-clad granite peaks,

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"mountain gorges,

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"ranges of forest,

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"delightful valleys with numerous beautiful small lakes

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"combine their charms in this romantic country."

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In all my travels, I never saw a place less changed

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from the Bradshaw description.

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It is so unspoiled and achingly beautiful.

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It's a land defined by tradition and regional customs.

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Shepherds' villages perch on remote slopes.

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I've come to Magura to meet wildlife guide Dan Marin,

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whose family has lived in these mountains for generations.

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These villages in the Carpathian Mountains,

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they seem to be sheltered from the passage of time.

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Yes, they are. They are quite isolated

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and the villagers have been somehow forced

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to stick to a certain way of life.

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And what do they live off here?

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Most of the families in the village own a small number of sheep,

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one or two cows.

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It's a sort of an annual cycle with this way of life.

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There's no artificial fertilisers that people use here.

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No pesticides.

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So it's really good quality.

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So you do have, really, a very natural environment?

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Romania has become one of the cleanest countries in the whole of Europe.

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One of the results of this traditional way of managing the land

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is a huge variety of wild flowers, especially orchids.

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We have 41 different species of orchids

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growing in hundreds or thousands on the meadows around here.

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Many wild flower species long since lost to the rest of Europe

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still flourish here, thanks to small-scale farming.

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Dan is taking me to meet a local shepherd, Ioan.

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At 70 years old, he continues to tend his flock of sheep.

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Ah, that's where he sleeps.

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That is one of the typical shepherds' huts.

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Oh, my goodness. That's tiny.

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Do you fit in there?

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He does fit in there. He does fit in there.

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'In summer, the shepherds wheel these portable huts

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'up to the high pasture and stay in them for up to five months.'

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Wake up! Morning!

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It's morning!

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Hello.

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Did you sleep well?

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The shepherd must stand ready to protect his precious flock

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of 20 sheep from wolves and bears.

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Aaah!

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Beautiful creature.

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And in the summer how high up will you go?

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1,300, 1,400 metres.

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Even up to the top, that's about 1,800 metres.

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When Ioan's not up in the high pasture,

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he must maintain his land and, of course,

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it is done in the traditional manner,

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by hand

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with a scythe.

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-No, no, no.

-Like that?

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Is that good?

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'I sense that Ioan's not impressed with my technique.'

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Ah, OK. Now, that is effective.

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OK, let me try that method.

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-Try to keep it to the...

-To the ground.

-..to the ground.

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Better?

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No?

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He just keeps shaking his head.

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No?

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I'm not sure that I'd last long out here. It's a hard life.

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But the lack of mechanisation

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results in a wonderfully unspoiled environment,

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one of this continent's last wildernesses.

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This, the most extensive tract of unbroken forest in Central Europe,

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is the habitat of one of the world's largest carnivores.

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Dan takes me to a forest hide, where, if I'm lucky,

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I may see a wild brown bear.

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In between the town that we have just left

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and this side of the Fagaras Mountains

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there are no human settlements.

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There is no tourists.

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It's a perfect place for different wild animals,

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especially wolves and bears.

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It's dusk,

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when both wolves and bears approach in search of food.

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Look.

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What luck.

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What a beautiful specimen.

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Romania has the largest number of bears and wolves

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in the whole of Europe.

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6,000 bears and about 3,000 wolves

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compared to, for instance, 20 bears in France.

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I feel really very privileged

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because, you know, at one time, Europe was covered in bears

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but now, really, you have to come to somewhere like Romania, that

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has maintained its wilderness,

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to see this magnificent animal in the wild.

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Thank you very much.

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This morning, I'm taking one of Romania's regional trains

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along a well-travelled route.

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My next stop will be Sinaia,

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which the guidebook tells me is "an attractive spot

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"in the Carpathians with villas and hotels

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"where the King has a palace."

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I believe the royal residence is about 3,000ft above sea level,

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so I'm going up in the world.

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Built in 1883, Sinaia Station was on the route of the Orient Express.

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Amongst the distinguished passengers who alighted here

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were guests of Romania's king.

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For it's here that he built a magnificent royal palace,

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Peles Castle.

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I'm meeting Daniela Voitescu, who will be my guide.

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Daniela, it is a fantastic castle.

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Who built it?

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Well, this fairytale castle was built by the first Romanian king,

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Carol I, a German one,

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who came to Romania in 1866.

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The Romanian people decided Romania needed a king

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and he was the only one who had accepted it

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and the country became a monarchy.

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Why did he build this fairytale castle?

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He has chosen this place because of the view through the mountains.

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The royal family used to live here only in summer time

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and it was built for many guests.

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And almost all the crowned heads from Europe at that time

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have been invited here on holiday.

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King Carol wanted a palace to impress his peers and courtiers.

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The new monarch was keen to show that under his rule,

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newly independent Romania was a powerful, progressive

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and modern kingdom.

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Peles Castle was to be a showcase for the latest technology.

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This castle was one of the first private residences in Europe

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to have central heating.

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This is the original boiler.

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And then the central heating was by means of radiators, was it?

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Yes, which are still working.

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This is extraordinary.

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I mean, clearly King Carol had very advanced ideas.

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He was absolutely at the forefront of modern technology.

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What else did he put into the palace?

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Well, modern bathrooms.

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I mean, running water, hot and cold.

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An electric elevator and a central vacuum cleaner

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which is still working.

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That I have to see!

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With 160 rooms, including 80 bedrooms, to service,

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the housemaids could attach a newfangled cleaning contraption

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to a central suction system.

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This 100-year-old vacuum cleaner is today used with modern fittings

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and remains surprisingly effective.

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Look at that!

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'But I don't want to get sucked into housework.

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'There's more to explore in this castle of surprises.'

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Daniela, this is really a spectacular room.

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Tell me about this.

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This is the main hall of the castle.

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The skylight was the King's idea,

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which can be opened and it slides electrically.

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And when it was inaugurated more than 100 years ago,

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it was already an electric roof?

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Yes. The castle had electricity since 1884.

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He was very proud to gather with the guests here

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to push the button himself.

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-Does it still work?

-Yes.

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HE LAUGHS

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Oh, that's beautiful.

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That enormous roof just swishes aside.

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And allows in the daylight.

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It's wonderful.

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King Carol's desire to modernise

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naturally led him to push the development of Romania's railways.

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He undertook not to go abroad until he could do so by train.

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So for the first three years of his reign, he was tied to home.

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By 1869, the first line was built

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and the network that emerged allowed the country's cheap

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agricultural products to be exported to Western markets,

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linking Romania to the European economy.

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I'm approaching the halfway point of my journey, which will continue

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with the industrial city of Ploiesti, the capital, Bucharest,

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and finally the country's main Black Sea port.

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Ploiesti is one of Romania's most important industrial cities.

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And it doesn't take long to spot why.

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Oil.

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I'm surprised to discover that Romania

0:27:470:27:50

has been refining oil since 1857.

0:27:500:27:53

It was the first country in the world to have its crude oil output

0:27:550:27:59

officially recorded.

0:27:590:28:01

In that year, the world's first oil refinery

0:28:010:28:05

was built at Ploiesti and I'm visiting one of its successors,

0:28:050:28:09

the Vega plant, to meet the project manager.

0:28:090:28:13

So oil production goes back a long way in Romania.

0:28:150:28:19

How long has this refinery been here?

0:28:190:28:21

-This refinery was born in 1905.

-That is amazing.

0:28:210:28:25

More than a century ago, and that is older than the guide book I'm using.

0:28:250:28:29

What is the main product from this refinery?

0:28:290:28:31

The main product from our refinery is bitumen.

0:28:310:28:34

Made from petroleum, bitumen is most commonly used for surfacing roads.

0:28:360:28:41

-I spend a lot of my life waiting for a train.

-Yeah?

0:28:440:28:46

The raw material arrives by rail from Vega's sister refinery

0:28:480:28:53

and is unloaded here before being processed.

0:28:530:28:55

From here, we unload the raw material, we pump through the tanks.

0:29:010:29:04

-Put this nozzle on?

-Yes, yes. Yes, please.

-Match these up.

0:29:060:29:10

-And turn?

-Yes.

0:29:120:29:15

-You must open the valve.

-Open the valve.

0:29:150:29:18

MACHINE STARTS

0:29:180:29:20

OK, done.

0:29:240:29:27

The bitumen enters the plant to begin a process of oxidation,

0:29:270:29:31

which will make it rubbery and more durable.

0:29:310:29:34

Here we have the oldest equipment under operation from the refinery.

0:29:360:29:41

It's a very old compressor, who was started in 1922.

0:29:410:29:46

We use this compressor in order to supply the air for the

0:29:460:29:50

oxidation on bitumen.

0:29:500:29:52

-Number two compressor. 1922 style!

-Yeah!

0:30:000:30:03

After 12-18 hours of oxidation,

0:30:130:30:15

the bitumen is ready to be loaded into road tankers.

0:30:150:30:18

-Is the loading arm in position?

-'OK.'

0:30:220:30:25

We're going to start loading, thank you.

0:30:250:30:28

-Right, how do we start?

-OK. OK.

0:30:280:30:30

Michael, to push here on the red button

0:30:300:30:33

to start the loading.

0:30:330:30:36

-OK, Michael. You can see also on the truck with that smoke.

-A result!

0:30:360:30:41

The result of the loading, yes, exactly.

0:30:410:30:44

Products from this refinery are destined for markets in

0:30:470:30:50

Europe, North Africa, and the Indian Subcontinent.

0:30:500:30:53

And I'm destined for my bed.

0:30:540:30:57

Today, I'm leaving the industry of Ploiesti to continue south to

0:31:120:31:16

Romania's largest city.

0:31:160:31:18

DOG BARKS

0:31:180:31:22

DOG CONTINUES BARKING

0:31:230:31:26

My next stop will be Bucharest.

0:31:420:31:44

Bradshaw's tells me that it's... "The capital of Romania,

0:31:440:31:47

"often swept by strong winds, a very unsettled climate.

0:31:470:31:51

"The trade of the city continually increases.

0:31:510:31:54

"Improvements have swept away most of the old, squalid, Oriental

0:31:540:31:59

"districts, and occasionally the city

0:31:590:32:02

"is mentioned as a smaller Paris."

0:32:020:32:04

I shall be very interested to see it because during the communist

0:32:040:32:08

period, President Ceaucescu also did a lot of sweeping away.

0:32:080:32:12

For early 20th century tourists, alighting in the capital of

0:32:290:32:33

this new kingdom would have been exciting,

0:32:330:32:36

even daunting.

0:32:360:32:38

Although the seasoned European traveller might be reassured

0:32:380:32:41

by some familiar touches.

0:32:410:32:43

The very first reminder of Paris is the name of this station,

0:32:450:32:48

Gara de Nord, and it's not just the name - it was built in 1872 at

0:32:480:32:53

a time when French cultural and architectural influences

0:32:530:32:57

were very strong.

0:32:570:32:58

And then, just imagine all the French people who were arriving

0:32:580:33:02

by train at the station, bringing with them all their influences.

0:33:020:33:06

The city of Bucharest flourished during the reign of

0:33:210:33:24

King Carol I, between 1866 and 1914.

0:33:240:33:29

New boulevards were created in the style of Haussmann's Paris.

0:33:290:33:34

Most of its major buildings were designed by French or

0:33:340:33:37

French-trained architects.

0:33:370:33:39

The city has its own Arc de Triomphe.

0:33:390:33:42

At the time of my guide book, King Carol's Romania was gaining

0:33:510:33:55

in confidence and seeking greater influence.

0:33:550:33:59

Two Balkan wars gave Romania bargaining power.

0:33:590:34:03

In 1912, a group of Balkan countries took advantage of Turkey's

0:34:080:34:13

weakness to seize most of its remaining territory in Europe.

0:34:130:34:17

But Bulgaria's jealous neighbours thought that it had gained

0:34:180:34:22

too much and a second Balkan war broke out in 1913.

0:34:220:34:26

Romania contrived to host the peace conference,

0:34:280:34:31

here in Bucharest later that year.

0:34:310:34:34

And gained a city on the Black Sea and another on the Danube and

0:34:340:34:38

an increase in population of a quarter of a million.

0:34:380:34:42

But if any of the delegates came to this late-19th century

0:34:420:34:46

Gothic-themed restaurant to celebrate,

0:34:460:34:49

their rejoicing would have been very short-lived because events in

0:34:490:34:54

the Balkans precipitated World War I.

0:34:540:34:57

And that brought untold suffering to all of Europe.

0:34:570:35:00

Romania had become a significant player in the region.

0:35:060:35:09

Her allegiance would be eagerly courted by both sides during

0:35:100:35:14

the conflict to come.

0:35:140:35:17

Early 20th century Bucharest was a cosmopolitan city, where art,

0:35:170:35:22

architecture and music flourished.

0:35:220:35:24

George Enescu, Romania's greatest musician and composer,

0:35:260:35:30

was hugely popular in his home country and across Europe.

0:35:300:35:33

The Cantacuzino Palace holds a museum dedicated to him.

0:35:350:35:39

And I feel privileged to be shown around by Romania's most

0:35:400:35:43

celebrated violinist, Alexandru Tomescu.

0:35:430:35:46

Maestro, here is George Enescu.

0:35:530:35:55

What kind of an inspiration has he been to you?

0:35:550:35:58

George Enescu is a complete artist for me.

0:35:580:36:02

He was not just a great composer, a great violinist,

0:36:020:36:05

maybe one of the greatest of the century,

0:36:050:36:08

not just a great teacher,

0:36:080:36:10

who could memorise a piece just sight-reading it for the

0:36:100:36:13

first time and then he would put it beside him and then would be

0:36:130:36:17

able to reproduce every single note.

0:36:170:36:19

But besides all of these artistical qualities, he was very

0:36:190:36:23

intensely preoccupied with the fate of the young composers of Romania.

0:36:230:36:27

He established an award for the young composers.

0:36:270:36:30

He did so much for this country.

0:36:300:36:32

You don't happen to have a violin with you today, do you?

0:36:320:36:36

I always travel accompanied by my violin, even when I'm on holidays.

0:36:360:36:40

So it's with me, yes, indeed.

0:36:400:36:42

Born in 1881, George Enescu was a prodigy,

0:36:460:36:49

admitted to the Vienna Conservatory at the tender age of seven.

0:36:490:36:53

In later life, he gained international acclaim for his

0:36:560:36:59

orchestral compositions, including his Romanian Rhapsodies.

0:36:590:37:03

Well, Alexandru, what violin have you brought today?

0:37:070:37:10

The very best violin, from Romania.

0:37:120:37:14

It's a Stradivarius, built in 1702, during his golden age.

0:37:140:37:19

It was purchased by Romanian state back in 1955 and may be the

0:37:190:37:23

best ever investment that the Romanian state made.

0:37:230:37:27

It's a true beauty.

0:37:270:37:29

It is priceless. It is one of the few remaining ones.

0:37:290:37:32

No amount of money, regardless how big, can replace it.

0:37:320:37:37

Would it be possible to hear something by Enescu on

0:37:370:37:41

-a Stradivarius?

-Not only possible, it will be a great joy for me.

0:37:410:37:46

HE PLAYS

0:37:460:37:49

Alexandru Tomescu, George Enescu, a Stradivarius - it's overwhelming.

0:38:340:38:41

-Thank you so much.

-A great pleasure.

0:38:410:38:43

And a further privilege - that's not all I'll hear of his music.

0:38:500:38:55

The Enescu Philharmonic is rehearsing for

0:38:550:38:57

a performance in the Athenaeum,

0:38:570:39:00

offering me an insight into their work.

0:39:000:39:03

ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:39:030:39:06

The visitor to Bucharest a century ago,

0:39:530:39:55

could have come to the Athenaeum and seen

0:39:550:39:57

Romanian history represented in the round.

0:39:570:40:00

And perhaps through Enescu's second Romanian Rhapsody,

0:40:010:40:05

I've glimpsed the Romanian soul as well.

0:40:050:40:07

MUSIC CONTINUES

0:40:080:40:13

I'm staying in the elegant Continental Hotel,

0:41:120:41:16

mentioned in my Bradshaw's Guide.

0:41:160:41:18

And, overall, I've been surprised how many

0:41:180:41:21

old buildings have survived in Bucharest.

0:41:210:41:24

I like to think of these historic structures all across Europe

0:41:240:41:28

as being like silent, outraged spectators

0:41:280:41:31

to the events of the 20th century.

0:41:310:41:33

Two world wars and the depravities of Nazism and fascism and communism,

0:41:330:41:39

waiting patiently for sanity to be restored.

0:41:390:41:43

If you choose your route carefully, Bradshaw's 1913 Bucharest

0:41:520:41:57

is much in evidence.

0:41:570:41:58

But take a turn off that route and the brutalist tower blocks

0:42:000:42:04

tell the story of Bucharest and Romania

0:42:040:42:07

in the latter half of the 20th century.

0:42:070:42:09

Bradshaw's had prepared me for

0:42:190:42:21

the cupular-shaped church towers of Bucharest.

0:42:210:42:24

But this is the architecture of tyranny,

0:42:240:42:27

the sort that flattens everything that gets in its way.

0:42:270:42:32

It was build in the 1980s on the orders of a megalomaniac -

0:42:320:42:36

President Ceausescu.

0:42:360:42:38

It was intended to be a monument that would last 500 years.

0:42:380:42:42

But he was shot before the decade had ended.

0:42:420:42:46

Backed by the Soviet Union, the communists had

0:42:490:42:51

seized power shortly after the Second World War.

0:42:510:42:54

Between 1965 and 1989, Romania endured the despotic regime of

0:42:540:43:01

Nicolae Ceausescu, which scarred the nation.

0:43:010:43:04

Despite economic mismanagement resulting in widespread poverty,

0:43:070:43:10

Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, pursued grandiose projects,

0:43:100:43:15

such as the building of the Palace Of The Parliament in Bucharest.

0:43:150:43:18

At 365,000 square metres, it is the second largest

0:43:210:43:25

administrative building in the world after the Pentagon.

0:43:250:43:29

I'm meeting Adrian Iordachescu, whose father emerged a hero

0:43:310:43:36

as a result of this extravagant project.

0:43:360:43:39

-Hello, Adrian.

-Glad to meet you.

0:43:390:43:41

Very good to see you. Well, here we are,

0:43:410:43:43

virtually in the shadow of the Palace Of The Parliament.

0:43:430:43:47

What was in this area before?

0:43:470:43:49

A pretty nice quarter, with old houses.

0:43:490:43:54

Very quiet. There were a lot of churches, small streets.

0:43:540:44:00

What happened to those houses and those churches in this quarter?

0:44:000:44:04

Totally demolished.

0:44:040:44:06

The property was not, uh, the major concern of the regime.

0:44:060:44:12

More than 40,000 residents were given

0:44:140:44:17

just days to vacate their homes.

0:44:170:44:19

And one-fifth of Bucharest was flattened to make way

0:44:210:44:24

for Ceausescu's vanity project.

0:44:240:44:26

Did anything survive?

0:44:310:44:34

Yes, a couple of churches were saved by my father.

0:44:340:44:40

My father is a civil engineer, and he had that great idea

0:44:400:44:45

to relocate buildings.

0:44:450:44:49

What do you think was the most important thing that was saved?

0:44:490:44:51

Probably Mihai Voda church -

0:44:510:44:54

it's one of the most important buildings, which was relocated.

0:44:540:45:00

To save the 16th-century Mihai Voda church from demolition,

0:45:040:45:08

Adrian's father, Eugen, came up with an ingenious method of moving it.

0:45:080:45:13

The building was cut from its foundation at ground level,

0:45:150:45:18

raised, supported by hydraulic jacks,

0:45:180:45:22

before being transported on railway bogeys along train tracks.

0:45:220:45:27

To the amazement of crowds,

0:45:310:45:34

the church was moved in one piece,

0:45:340:45:37

289 metres away from Ceausescu's bulldozers.

0:45:370:45:42

It took two weeks for the church to reach its new location.

0:45:500:45:54

So, Aidan, it is a beautiful church,

0:46:020:46:05

and this is where it ended up after its 289-metre journey.

0:46:050:46:09

But now it's hemmed in by blocks of flats.

0:46:090:46:12

A couple of years ago, the chief architect and the mayor

0:46:120:46:16

asked my father to think of a solution

0:46:160:46:19

to relocate the building on the initial site.

0:46:190:46:23

-Can we go inside?

-Sure.

0:46:240:46:25

When I see the church, I'm struck by its simple beauty.

0:46:340:46:38

And now I fully appreciate the audacity of the operation.

0:46:400:46:44

And to my delight, Eugen Iordachescu is here to meet me.

0:46:510:46:56

My father. That's the man I told you about.

0:47:000:47:03

What a great honour to meet you, sir. This is fantastic.

0:47:030:47:06

-Thank you very much.

-You are the man who saved this church,

0:47:060:47:09

and so many other buildings.

0:47:090:47:10

HE SPEAKS ROMANIAN

0:47:100:47:12

Are you a religious man? Was that an important part of your motivation?

0:47:300:47:34

Congratulations. What you've done here is really almost incredible.

0:47:530:47:58

I'm leaving the capital, to continue my journey eastwards.

0:48:110:48:15

I'll soon be arriving in Constanta which, the guidebook tells me,

0:48:360:48:39

"..is on a steep tongue of land running into the Black Sea.

0:48:390:48:43

"It's acquired importance as the sea harbour of Romania,

0:48:430:48:46

"with the outer works of the harbour completed in 1903."

0:48:460:48:50

I imagine there's been a lot of development still,

0:48:500:48:53

because Constanta remains, for Romanian products,

0:48:530:48:57

the gateway to the world.

0:48:570:48:59

I'm excited to glimpse the mighty Danube,

0:49:020:49:05

which, like me, is wending its way towards the Black Sea.

0:49:050:49:10

I shall explore Constanta tomorrow.

0:49:120:49:14

The city of Constanta stands on the western coast of the Black Sea,

0:49:340:49:38

in the Dobruja region, whose control returned to Romania in 1878,

0:49:380:49:43

after war between Russia and Turkey.

0:49:430:49:46

The country thus regained a sea port,

0:49:460:49:48

and access to international trade routes.

0:49:480:49:51

Looking around, I see faded grandeur.

0:49:530:49:56

Especially evident at Constanta Casino,

0:49:560:49:59

where I'm meeting historian Cosbin Yoniza.

0:49:590:50:02

-Hello, Cosbin.

-Hi, Michael. Very nice to meet you.

0:50:040:50:08

This is obviously a splendid building. A casino.

0:50:080:50:12

When was it built and why was it built?

0:50:120:50:14

It was built just before the First World War, in 1909-1910.

0:50:140:50:17

And it was a building meant to bring the elite of the city together.

0:50:170:50:24

Constanta used to be a city of fishermen,

0:50:240:50:28

but then, after this region became part of the kingdom of Romania,

0:50:280:50:32

you have a great splendour in the city.

0:50:320:50:35

I'm very interested in the origins of the First World War.

0:50:350:50:38

Does Constanta play any part in the political developments?

0:50:380:50:41

Constanta has a very important role in the build-up

0:50:410:50:44

to the First World War.

0:50:440:50:45

It's actually the place the visit of the Tsar, Nicholas II,

0:50:450:50:49

with his imperial family, happened on 14th June, 1914,

0:50:490:50:55

when he visited the royal family of Romania.

0:50:550:50:59

-Are we able to go inside?

-Sure.

0:50:590:51:01

In 1914, Europe sensed that war was brewing.

0:51:060:51:10

Tensions were high between opposing alliances.

0:51:100:51:13

The Russian imperial visit, which drew huge crowds,

0:51:150:51:19

and concluded with a gala in this casino,

0:51:190:51:21

was more than a courtesy call by a neighbouring monarch.

0:51:210:51:25

Cosbin, it was clearly once a very grand building,

0:51:300:51:33

and I daresay a suitable place to receive the Tsar of Russia.

0:51:330:51:36

What was the political purpose of the visit?

0:51:360:51:39

It was very important because in Europe at that moment,

0:51:390:51:43

you have two main alliances.

0:51:430:51:44

You have Germany, Austria, Hungary and Italy on one side,

0:51:440:51:47

and then on the other side you have France, Russia and Great Britain.

0:51:470:51:51

Romania was part of the first block,

0:51:510:51:53

together with Germany, Austria, Hungary and Italy.

0:51:530:51:57

And the others were trying to pull Romania out of this alliance

0:51:570:52:01

and to bring it to their side.

0:52:010:52:03

More things happened apart from the imperial visit.

0:52:030:52:06

You have also the foreign minister of Russia visiting Romania,

0:52:060:52:09

and this has a very important political message.

0:52:090:52:12

He was here in Constanta as well during the visit, but he stayed more in Bucharest

0:52:120:52:15

and they were able to talk further on, on the political, er...

0:52:150:52:20

..ideas connecting the two countries.

0:52:200:52:23

With the ostentatious welcome for the Russian Tsar,

0:52:250:52:29

Romania was claiming her place at the top diplomatic table,

0:52:290:52:34

and was being courted because of her strategic location.

0:52:340:52:37

In 1916, Romania eventually entered the First World War,

0:52:380:52:43

on the side of France, Britain and Russia.

0:52:430:52:48

To the south of the Casino lies the port of Constanta

0:52:570:53:01

which, during the 1860s, was open to international trade

0:53:010:53:05

with a railway built by a British company.

0:53:050:53:08

King Carol further modernised and improved the port

0:53:080:53:11

to accommodate large cargo ships.

0:53:110:53:14

Bradshaw's remarks that grain is Romania's chief export.

0:53:150:53:19

I want to find out whether that's still the case,

0:53:190:53:22

from Antonio Stoye, who works for a freight company here.

0:53:220:53:26

Antonio, I'm very struck by these very beautiful buildings.

0:53:290:53:32

When were they put up?

0:53:320:53:33

So they were build more than 100 years ago.

0:53:330:53:37

They started in 1904 with the first silo,

0:53:370:53:41

then the second one followed in 1911 and the third one in 1914.

0:53:410:53:46

All together, they are 100,000 tonnes capacity.

0:53:460:53:48

This is all about grain. Where is it going from and to?

0:53:480:53:52

Mainly from inland Romania,

0:53:520:53:54

the cargo is going further on the Black Sea.

0:53:540:53:56

In Turkey, North Africa and, today, it's going also to Far East.

0:53:560:54:02

The port of Constanta has undergone further expansion recently.

0:54:090:54:14

Handling nearly 20 million tonnes of cereal a year,

0:54:140:54:18

it's emerging as Europe's biggest grain transport hub,

0:54:180:54:22

and is on course to become the largest grain terminal

0:54:220:54:25

in the Black Sea region.

0:54:250:54:26

Enormous floating cranes transfer cargo

0:54:300:54:33

from river barges to seagoing ships.

0:54:330:54:36

The crane is controlled from a small operator cabin 100ft up.

0:54:480:54:54

(Don't look down, don't look down.)

0:55:000:55:03

Ah.

0:55:110:55:13

Made it to the top, and what a view.

0:55:130:55:16

The control centre.

0:55:190:55:20

Yes, here we are, on top of the world.

0:55:200:55:23

I'm looking down into the grain storage area of the ship.

0:55:230:55:26

It is, er, it is a vast cavity, isn't it?

0:55:260:55:30

Yeah, indeed.

0:55:300:55:32

Wow.

0:55:320:55:33

Now the, er, the fairground ride really does begin.

0:55:340:55:38

Ah, the whole crane is spinning around, wow.

0:55:390:55:43

This is... Whoa! This is scary.

0:55:430:55:45

This is moving in every conceivable direction.

0:55:450:55:49

I'm glad he wasn't driving it when we came up the ladder.

0:55:490:55:53

I've got the shakes.

0:55:530:55:54

If you look down, you will see that

0:55:550:55:58

-now he is grabbing from the barge.

-Oh, yeah.

0:55:580:56:01

Much more shaking as we grab. The wires come up, the grab is rising...

0:56:040:56:10

We're swinging round towards the ship.

0:56:110:56:13

Ahhh... We're now over the ship.

0:56:150:56:19

This vessel could hold up to 86,000 tonnes of grain,

0:56:190:56:23

and is bound for Belgium.

0:56:230:56:25

That's your first 26 tonnes, operated in Constanta.

0:56:250:56:29

Ah.

0:56:290:56:30

Oh-ho-ho!

0:56:340:56:35

If I was terrified before, I think this takes the biscuit.

0:56:370:56:40

I'm peering through an open space here, down to the enormous grab,

0:56:400:56:45

which must be 70 or 80ft beneath me.

0:56:450:56:48

When I think of the responsibility of these operators,

0:56:490:56:52

I mean, it's really terrifying!

0:56:520:56:54

This thriving venture in Constanta

0:56:580:57:01

signals Romania's ambitions for the future.

0:57:010:57:05

100 years ago, the railway traveller in Romania

0:57:070:57:10

would have noticed its poverty.

0:57:100:57:13

I've been taken aback to discover that it was a major oil producer,

0:57:130:57:17

whose king had a castle full of the latest electrical gadgets.

0:57:170:57:22

Similarly today, I am surprised that in

0:57:220:57:24

one of Europe's least developed economies,

0:57:240:57:27

there's an enormous and growing port here at Constanta.

0:57:270:57:32

Transylvania was joined to Romania only after the First World War,

0:57:320:57:36

and so it's still a young-ish country

0:57:360:57:39

that had a very unlucky 20th century.

0:57:390:57:42

Romania has now driven a stake into its communist past,

0:57:420:57:46

and I hope that this friendly nation will seize the new opportunities.

0:57:460:57:52

'Next time...

0:57:520:57:54

LOUD BANG

0:57:540:57:55

'..I enter a war zone with the Red Cross...'

0:57:560:57:59

Hurry, go!

0:57:590:58:00

A most extraordinary turn of events!

0:58:000:58:02

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

0:58:020:58:04

Michael Portillo's the name.

0:58:040:58:07

Last seen somewhere in the Alps.

0:58:070:58:10

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

0:58:100:58:13

Only when you go up in a small plane like this

0:58:140:58:16

do you realise what a formidable obstacle the Alps would have been

0:58:160:58:22

a century ago.

0:58:220:58:24

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