0:00:03 > 0:00:06I'm embarking on a new railway adventure
0:00:06 > 0:00:09that will take me across the heart of Europe.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel for the British tourist.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24It told travellers where to go,
0:00:24 > 0:00:29what to see and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks
0:00:29 > 0:00:31crisscrossing the continent.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Now, a century later, I'm using my copy
0:00:33 > 0:00:37to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,
0:00:37 > 0:00:42where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46I want to rediscover that lost Europe that, in 1913,
0:00:46 > 0:00:51couldn't know that its way of life would shortly be swept aside
0:00:51 > 0:00:52by the advent of war.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11I'm following one of my guidebook's recommended journeys to Switzerland.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15A country whose roots date back to 1291.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22Renowned for its breathtaking scenery and invigorating air,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25it's home to four different languages
0:01:25 > 0:01:28united under a single flag.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33A traveller in Switzerland a century ago using a Bradshaw's Guide
0:01:33 > 0:01:38might be here to climb a mountain, buy a watch or open a bank account,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40just as today.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43But in 1913, war loomed.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Would this country's famous neutrality be respected
0:01:47 > 0:01:51or would its values be used as a short cut
0:01:51 > 0:01:54by Germany and France to attack one another?
0:01:54 > 0:01:59These were the great political questions as Europe slithered down
0:01:59 > 0:02:02the slippery slope to Armageddon.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15I start my journey in the south of the country,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18high up in the Alps in Zermatt,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22then head into the beautiful valleys and lake shores
0:02:22 > 0:02:25to visit the Swiss Riviera at Montreux.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28From there, I move north-east
0:02:28 > 0:02:30to the centre of the country
0:02:30 > 0:02:32and the capital, Bern.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36It's then only a short hop to Biel or Bienne -
0:02:36 > 0:02:38the heart of watchmaking.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40I'll end my journey
0:02:40 > 0:02:42on the shores of Lake Geneva.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48On this journey, I learn about the conquest of the Alps.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51You know, the Matterhorn at that time, it was untouched
0:02:51 > 0:02:55and most people thought it's not climbable.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58'I put my faith in St Bernard...'
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Michael Portillo's the name.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- OK.- Last seen somewhere in the Alps.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07'..salute the bravery of a pioneering Swiss pilot...'
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Only when you go up in a small plane like this do you realise
0:03:11 > 0:03:16what a formidable obstacle the Alps would have been a century ago.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22'..before entering a war zone with the Red Cross.'
0:03:22 > 0:03:25CLAMOUR
0:03:25 > 0:03:27A most extraordinary turn of events.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41My first stop will be Zermatt.
0:03:41 > 0:03:47According to Bradshaw's, "A village 5,315 feet above sea,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51"almost surrounded by lofty peaks and glaciers,
0:03:51 > 0:03:56"sometimes described as the very centre of the Alps."
0:03:56 > 0:03:57In the 19th century,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01the British were gripped by a spirit of adventure,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04an urge to explore and to prevail.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08And many of those lofty peaks were first conquered
0:04:08 > 0:04:11by teams that included British climbers
0:04:11 > 0:04:14who devoted their lives to Alpinism.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17When I arrive at Zermatt, I shall be close to
0:04:17 > 0:04:23the most recognisable and forbidding of the Alps, the deadly Matterhorn.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29It's important to remember that,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31until the second half of the 19th century,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33this majestic mountain wilderness
0:04:33 > 0:04:37at the heart of the world's most densely populated continent
0:04:37 > 0:04:39remained largely inaccessible.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45That began to change with the arrival of the railways.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48British mountaineers,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51who would have taken 16 days to travel from London
0:04:51 > 0:04:54to these dangerous, unclimbed peaks,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56could arrive in just three,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00and the golden age of mountaineering was born.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09The Alpine town of Zermatt, nestling in the Matter Valley,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12is the gateway to these magnificent mountains.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Today, it's famous as a ski resort
0:05:15 > 0:05:18but at the time of the early mountaineers,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21it was a small village of only 400 people.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26The Alps really could have been designed to teach man humility.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31Surrounded by these mountains you feel small and insignificant.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36These peaks created a craze
0:05:36 > 0:05:40which led to an influx of intrepid British adventurers.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49And in order to carry them closer to the Matterhorn,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52the indomitable Swiss railway engineers
0:05:52 > 0:05:54built the Gornergrat cog railway.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02- Hello, Chris.- Hello. - Great to see you.- Nice to meet you.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04I'm Michael.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07'I'm meeting Chris, who works for this remarkable railway.'
0:06:08 > 0:06:12My Bradshaw's says, "The railway up from Zermatt to Gornergrat
0:06:12 > 0:06:15"commands the grandest view obtainable in the Alps
0:06:15 > 0:06:18"of the world of ice and snow."
0:06:18 > 0:06:21So this railway was already built before 1913?
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Yes, it was 15 years before.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27This is extraordinary because many of the Alps
0:06:27 > 0:06:30were only climbed for the first time in the 19th century,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33yet by the end of the 19th century,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36the Swiss are able to build railways to the tops of mountains.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Yes. The cog railways were invented in 1860, about.
0:06:39 > 0:06:45The first were in America and the Gornergrat Bahn was then 1898.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48From the beginning, it was an electric cog wheel
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and not with steam, and our grand-grandfathers,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54they really were experts and pioneers.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01The Gornergrat trains operate on gradients as steep as 20%
0:07:01 > 0:07:06using a cog that grips a racked rail running between the tracks.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10The traveller in 1913 would have marvelled at the engineering
0:07:10 > 0:07:12and been treated on a clear day
0:07:12 > 0:07:18to an awe-inspiring view across 29 peaks exceeding 4,000 metres.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Is that the Matterhorn appearing there?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24That would be the Matterhorn, yes.
0:07:24 > 0:07:274,478 metres above sea level.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31The queen of the mountains.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Although I'm a plucky sort of fellow
0:07:37 > 0:07:40in fine physical condition with tremendous stamina,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43it's a huge relief that the changeable weather
0:07:43 > 0:07:46scuppers any chance of a summit bid.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54I'm meeting Benedikt Perren,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57who is directly descended from two of the guides
0:07:57 > 0:08:01who made the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- Hello, Benedikt.- Hi, Michael.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08- Nice to meet you up here.- Good to see you and a great place to meet.
0:08:08 > 0:08:09Great spot, yes.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Why do you think that the British were such keen mountain climbers
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- here in the Alps?- You know, the British were used to travel
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and the British had the money to travel
0:08:19 > 0:08:24and they realised that there is a lot of first ascents to do
0:08:24 > 0:08:27and they were very keen to reach that goal.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30What was so special about the Matterhorn?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33You know, the Matterhorn, at that time, it was untouched
0:08:33 > 0:08:38and most people in Zermatt thought it's not climbable.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43Tell me about the first successful conquest of the Matterhorn.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46You know, we had four British climbers,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49all four members of British Alpine Club.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52This fearless group comprised Edward Whymper,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56who, at 25, had already made seven unsuccessful attempts,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Lord Francis Douglas,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00the Reverend Charles Hudson,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04and the novice of the group, Douglas Hadow.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06They were joined by Alpine guides,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Michel Croz, and Benedikt's relatives,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Peter Taugwalder and his son, also called Peter.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19They set off at 5.30 on a brilliant and perfectly cloudless morning
0:09:19 > 0:09:23and a day later, after an incident-free climb,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26they arrived 200 feet below the summit.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Whymper wanted to be the first on the summit.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33He and Michel Croz, their French guide,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36the two of them did run up to the summit
0:09:36 > 0:09:39and the others, they followed, probably 20 minutes later.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Whymper had done what everyone thought was impossible.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44He'd conquered the Matterhorn.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Whymper and the two Taugwalders, they stood a bit longer on the summit.
0:09:50 > 0:09:51Probably half an hour later,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54the three of them did start their way down
0:09:54 > 0:09:58and they caught up with the other four very quick.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04On the way down, it was Hadow...
0:10:06 > 0:10:09..who slipped and started to fall...
0:10:11 > 0:10:13..and the rope was not strong enough
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and then it...
0:10:15 > 0:10:17- How do you say?- Snapped. - It snapped, yes.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Four climbers fell down the whole north face.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24A momentous tragedy, a terrible loss of life.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Yes, that was a big tragedy.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Out of the party that climbed the mountain,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32only Whymper and the two Taugwalders escaped with their lives.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Climbing equipment in the 1860s was rudimentary.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- Is this the sort of boot Hadow had? - Yes, exactly a boot like that.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44The only hold you've got is these nails here
0:10:44 > 0:10:49and that was basically the reason why he started to slide, you know.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Really, you think Hadow was killed, and the others too,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54because of a defective boot?
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Yeah, you know, that was one of the main reasons.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Hadow was basically not a very experienced climber.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04On the other hand, he was not very well equipped.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Despite your family's involvement in that tragedy,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10you have climbed the Matterhorn. How many times?
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Right now, I've been 250 times on the summit.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17That's extraordinary. What's it like to be at the top of the Matterhorn?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Great, you know. You are surrounded by
0:11:20 > 0:11:23all the big mountains of the Alps
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and you have a very good panoramic view
0:11:26 > 0:11:28and very emotional moments up there.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34Even today's climbers treat the Matterhorn with the utmost respect
0:11:34 > 0:11:39because, despite many triumphs, about 500 lives have been lost.
0:11:41 > 0:11:47And for Whymper, the tragedy cast a shadow over the rest of his life.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52He wrote, "Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength
0:11:52 > 0:11:56"are naught without prudence and that a momentary negligence
0:11:56 > 0:12:00"may destroy the happiness of a lifetime."
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I'm heading to safer ground
0:12:05 > 0:12:10and descending more than 2,500 metres to the valley below.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14Wherever I go in Switzerland,
0:12:14 > 0:12:19I am astonished by the quality of the railway civil engineering.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23We are now passing through the Kipfen Gorge.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26The Swiss really managed to tame their mountains.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28And when you think that so much of this was done
0:12:28 > 0:12:31during the 19th century and that many of these lines
0:12:31 > 0:12:34have been electrified for more than a century,
0:12:34 > 0:12:36it adds to the sense of wonder.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39They didn't do this by steam-rolling public opinion.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41In this extraordinary democracy,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44many of the most important things are settled by referendum.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48I'm arriving in the town of Visp
0:12:48 > 0:12:53where I'll be able to admire more examples of Swiss railway building.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55I'm catching a connection to Martigny,
0:12:55 > 0:13:00cultural capital of the French-speaking Canton of Valais.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Bradshaw's tells me that, "Near Martigny
0:13:03 > 0:13:06"is the Hospice of the Great St Bernard,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08"whose monks assist travellers
0:13:08 > 0:13:13"in the dangers from storm and avalanche, aided by their dogs.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17"One, called Barry, helped to save 14 persons."
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Martigny is at one end of the snowy, perilous,
0:13:28 > 0:13:3349-mile Great St Bernard Pass that links Switzerland to Italy.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38It's snow-free only for a couple of months in the summer
0:13:38 > 0:13:42and has been a treacherous route for travellers throughout history.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Hello.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52'I've come to the Barry Foundation to meet Doris Kundig
0:13:52 > 0:13:56'and the descendants of St Bernard's famous Alpine mastiffs.'
0:13:57 > 0:14:02Doris, what was the origin of the story of the St Bernard dogs?
0:14:02 > 0:14:06The story of the St Bernard started at the Great St Bernard Pass
0:14:06 > 0:14:10where, in the 12th century, St Bernard founded a hospice.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14The canons up there started to have dogs.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18They first were used as working dogs and then soon,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22they found out about their ability to smell
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and to find the orientation.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29'The St Bernard's powerful sense of smell and resistance to cold
0:14:29 > 0:14:33'meant that over a 150-year period, up to 2,000 people,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36'from lost children to Napoleon's soldiers,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39'were rescued by the heroic dogs,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42'and one in particular excelled.'
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Tell me about the original dog called Barry.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Well, this is our national hero, as to say.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51He lived between 1800 and 1812
0:14:51 > 0:14:55at the hospice and he saved the lives of about 40 people.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- 40?- 40, yeah.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00So he got very famous because of that
0:15:00 > 0:15:03because he seemed to be the one dog
0:15:03 > 0:15:07that really had the ability to find people,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10to rescue people or just to keep them away from danger.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Although today, St Bernards are no longer used in rescues,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18the Foundation is keeping alive the original line,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20with its 27 bitches and eight dogs.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23And how do you find working with St Bernards?
0:15:23 > 0:15:25What's the character of these dogs?
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Well, they are very lazy, they are very gentle,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32they are stubborn
0:15:32 > 0:15:35but they want to have a contact with people.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38And to preserve traditions,
0:15:38 > 0:15:43the Foundation always trains one dog in avalanche search and rescue.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53In the spirit of adventure, I've offered to be the buried victim.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56'Although it's spring here in the Alps,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58'there is an annual snowfall of ten metres.'
0:15:58 > 0:15:59Thank you.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02'And temperatures drop to minus 30.'
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Whoa! It's deep snow!
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- Hello, Daniel.- Michael.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09- You're welcome.- And who's this?
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- Easy.- Easy?
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Easy. A real St Bernard.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16'It takes three years to train a dog.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19'Here's hoping she's got something of the Barry about her.'
0:16:19 > 0:16:21What do I need to do? Just get in there?
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- Yes, you go inside. - Yes.- Then I give you the toy.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- The toy?- Yes, the toy, Easy's toy.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- Oh, Easy's toy.- Yes.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32You can also play with it!
0:16:32 > 0:16:34One second. So I give you the toy.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Thank you very much indeed.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37And I give you a little bit meat
0:16:37 > 0:16:41to say thank you to Easy that she will get you out.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43You won't forget about me, will you?
0:16:43 > 0:16:45- Michael Portillo's the name.- OK.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Last seen somewhere in the Alps.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54'Now, I know this doesn't look very scientific,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58'but Easy is only in the first year of her training.'
0:17:00 > 0:17:01Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y!
0:17:01 > 0:17:03'Time to put that nose to the test.'
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Easy! Help!
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Easy!
0:17:14 > 0:17:18'Hm. Easy has some way to go before she reaches Barry's standard.'
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y!
0:17:32 > 0:17:35'That's the toy, but what about me?'
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Peter, can you get me out of here, please?
0:17:38 > 0:17:39Ah!
0:17:39 > 0:17:41HE LAUGHS
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Nowadays, St Bernards don't bring brandy with them.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Mm.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50But when you've been in an avalanche for a while,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52this is exactly what you need.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01After all that excitement,
0:18:01 > 0:18:06I'm heading away from the high Alps to the Switzerland of the lakes.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09For 1913 travellers coming from industrialised countries,
0:18:09 > 0:18:14this pure and invigorating air must have been intoxicating.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17For the first part of my journey today,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20I'll be travelling along what Bradshaw's calls
0:18:20 > 0:18:22"The magnificent Rhone Valley".
0:18:22 > 0:18:24That river flows through Switzerland,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26entering Lac Leman near Montreux,
0:18:26 > 0:18:31exits at Geneva and then abandons Switzerland for France.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Can I help you? Let me pass that up to you.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41There we go.
0:18:44 > 0:18:45Prochain arret, St Moritz.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Jusqu'a Montreux, s'il vous plait.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51- Tres bien. Merci. Bon voyage. - Merci, monsieur.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59Bradshaw's describes scenery of mountain, lake and meadow.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02"In summer, the heat is cooled by the lake breezes.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07"In winter, the sheltered situation secures a mild climate with clear air.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10"Not often are there frost and snow."
0:19:10 > 0:19:14And this apparently made the area suitable for the treatment of
0:19:14 > 0:19:17"internal and nervous diseases - gout, rheumatism, heart,
0:19:17 > 0:19:23"kidney and stomach complaints, but not mental or tuberculosis cases".
0:19:23 > 0:19:27I had no idea that a climate could be so picky.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38Montreux's dramatic location on the east side of Lake Geneva
0:19:38 > 0:19:43helped it in the late 19th century to become a famous holiday resort.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51It attracted celebrated residents and visitors
0:19:51 > 0:19:55and became a feature of what was known as the Swiss Riviera.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Few of those eminent visitors could predict
0:20:03 > 0:20:06that the world order was about to be torn apart
0:20:06 > 0:20:09by a Great War and a revolution in Russia.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15But in fact, well before that, developments in art -
0:20:15 > 0:20:18think of the paintings of Pablo Picasso -
0:20:18 > 0:20:23are already shaking the foundations of the pompous old empires.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25And in the world of music,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27the work of Igor Stravinsky is,
0:20:27 > 0:20:33in its way, as revolutionary as anything by Marx or Lenin,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36and threatened to bring the house down.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43In 1910, Stravinsky was a young, virtually unknown composer,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46but his music for the ballet The Firebird
0:20:46 > 0:20:48was an overnight sensation.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Impresario Sergei Diaghilev swiftly commissioned him
0:20:53 > 0:20:55to write another.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03I'm meeting Isabel in Montreux's famous home of music.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Isabel, we are in the beautiful concert hall
0:21:06 > 0:21:08named after Igor Stravinsky.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Why did Stravinsky come to Montreux?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Well, he first came here in 1910
0:21:13 > 0:21:16because his wife was not very healthy
0:21:16 > 0:21:20and the temperature here in Montreux was better for her.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23What was it that Stravinsky achieved here in Montreux?
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Well, he wrote The Rite Of Spring.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30During the summer of 1911,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Stravinsky immersed himself in the piece,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37which appeared fundamentally at odds with the rest of the musical world.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41He finished it on 4th November, 1912,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and premiered it in Paris in 1913.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The story concerns a prehistoric Russian tribe
0:21:56 > 0:22:01that celebrates the arrival of spring with a virgin sacrifice.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12Both Stravinsky's score and the choreography were so unexpected
0:22:12 > 0:22:16and avant-garde that a riot broke out in the audience.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Some considered it an obscene subversion of all music's norms...
0:22:27 > 0:22:30..and condemned Stravinsky as a madman.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37HE PLAYS OPENING FROM RITE OF SPRING
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- Luca, thank you very much indeed. - Thank you.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03That opening passage, very, very haunting.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05There is a funny story about this beginning.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07During a rehearsal,
0:23:07 > 0:23:12the bassoon player wanted to make fun of the cor anglais player,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16so he started to play the beginning, but Stravinsky heard it and thought,
0:23:16 > 0:23:21"Oh, maybe I should have the bassoon play this passage."
0:23:21 > 0:23:23And, of course, now it is always played on the bassoon?
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Yeah, now it's a very difficult orchestral passage
0:23:26 > 0:23:30because it's very high. It's also this will from Stravinsky
0:23:30 > 0:23:34to have a music quite extreme and quite breaking the rules.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36ORCHESTRA PLAYS
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Can you understand why it was so controversial?
0:23:42 > 0:23:46Well, it has to do with the harmony, with the dissonance.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48But also, it's very violent,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and Stravinsky used a lot of percussionists,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53I think four percussionists.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56It's really primitive music.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59A violent piece and a violent reaction?
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Yeah. Yeah, I think the first reactions were quite violent.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring is now recognised as an important moment
0:24:11 > 0:24:14in the development of music in the 20th century.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Every year, the composer features
0:24:16 > 0:24:20in the repertoire of Montreux's Classical Music Festival,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23acknowledging his influence.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25APPLAUSE
0:24:27 > 0:24:30While Montreux attracted composers and musicians,
0:24:30 > 0:24:35early 20th-century tourists were drawn to a lakeside medieval castle.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Chateau de Chillon, standing on the south-east end of the lake,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44owes its fame not so much to history as to literature.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Bonjour, Monsieur. Bonjour, Mademoiselle.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52In the early 19th century,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56the Romantic poets Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley
0:24:56 > 0:25:01met up in Geneva. They sailed around the lake and visited the chateau.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06As Bradshaw's remarks, the district is well served by steamer.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08I'm heading for the castle of Chillon,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10which, the guidebook tells me,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12"..is supposed to date from the ninth century
0:25:12 > 0:25:15"but the existing building is probably of the 13th."
0:25:15 > 0:25:19With its turrets and situated down on the water's edge,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23it is the sort of ultimate fairy tale castle.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26And it's appeared so often in literature
0:25:26 > 0:25:29that it is the quintessential Romantic monument.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Although Byron visited in 1816,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36almost a century before my guidebook,
0:25:36 > 0:25:41his fame was such that everywhere he had gone, crowds followed.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48On that trip, the castle inspired Byron to write his famous poem
0:25:48 > 0:25:50The Prisoner Of Chillon.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I'm meeting guide Deborah Lockwood
0:25:57 > 0:26:00to find out more about this glamorised castle.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Well, I mean, this is just the most romantic castle.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07It could pop out of a fairy tale but it must have been built
0:26:07 > 0:26:11- with a serious purpose. What was that?- A very serious purpose.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Actually, it was built to protect the road
0:26:14 > 0:26:17that passes right in front of Chillon Castle.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20You notice that it's very narrow between the mountain and the lake,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24and this road is thousands and thousands of years old.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27It was used by the Romans, in fact,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30to come north on their way to Germany,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33later was used as a commercial road for trade
0:26:33 > 0:26:35and also was a pilgrimage route.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39And so the castle is not here to defend the lake, but the road?
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Oh, yes, absolutely, which is why, when you arrived,
0:26:41 > 0:26:46you noticed it looked very much like a fortress with arrow slits,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48ramparts and all the rest.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52The castle was owned by the powerful and wealthy Savoy family,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55rulers and landowners in the area.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59Now, this castle has been notorious as being a prison.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02- Why so?- The Savoys were very authoritarian,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05there were lots of enemies, there was crime.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09And during the Bernese period, which would have been the 16th century,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13it was also used as a prison for witches.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Can we go down to the cells, to the dungeons,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and discuss the famous Prisoner of Chillon?
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- Of course we can. Please follow me. - Take me below.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Now, careful with the steps because they're quite slippery.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32'The dungeon that Byron made famous was built in 1256
0:27:32 > 0:27:37'and the prisoner who inspired his poem was locked up here in 1530.'
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Now, who was the Prisoner of Chillon?
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Well, his name was Francois Bonivard.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47He was the son of a small noble family of Savoy
0:27:47 > 0:27:51who lived near Geneva, and he was actually a prior
0:27:51 > 0:27:54who lived and worked in a monastery in Geneva itself.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Like many people of the times,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01he was in favour of autonomy and freedom from Geneva,
0:28:01 > 0:28:06from the authoritarian rule of the Savoy family,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and his main problem was he talked too much.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Bonivard's loose tongue and opposition to the Savoys
0:28:13 > 0:28:16caused him to be incarcerated in Chillon for six years.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20But can you imagine anything more appalling
0:28:20 > 0:28:22than to spend years chained to that ring
0:28:22 > 0:28:26and to have all that beauty outside, just beyond your reach?
0:28:31 > 0:28:37"In each pillar, there is a ring, And in each ring, there is a chain
0:28:37 > 0:28:40"That iron is a cankering thing
0:28:40 > 0:28:43"For in these limbs its teeth remain
0:28:43 > 0:28:46"With marks that will not wear away
0:28:46 > 0:28:49"Till I have done with this new day."
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Byron's prisoner eventually regained his freedom in 1536.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04Why was Byron captivated by this story of a prisoner of Chillon?
0:29:04 > 0:29:05Well, I think that, of course,
0:29:05 > 0:29:09he was in favour of anything that was democratic,
0:29:09 > 0:29:14a brand-new idea at the time, of course, and anyone who had suffered.
0:29:16 > 0:29:23The poem was published in 1816 and earned Byron nearly £2,100 -
0:29:23 > 0:29:25a princely sum in those days.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38For many 1913 travellers,
0:29:38 > 0:29:42seeing Switzerland was a remarkable experience.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45They were stimulated by its beauty,
0:29:45 > 0:29:50mesmerised, having seen nothing like it.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57And like them, I'm now experiencing the excitement of the unexpected...
0:29:58 > 0:30:03..a vineyard called Chemin de Fer which is French for railway.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05It's owned by wine grower Luc Massy.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07I find you in a dry corner.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- Yes.- I was very excited when I heard about
0:30:10 > 0:30:13a vineyard that was called Chemin de Fer
0:30:13 > 0:30:16but I did not expect something so narrow.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19How can you possibly produce wine from such a narrow strip?
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Anyway, this region in Dezaley, everything is narrow.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27We get walls, we get terraces, but every terrace is very, very narrow.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29And we do cultivate everything by hand.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33- And it stretches all along the line, does it?- Yes, it's going far away,
0:30:33 > 0:30:37all along the side of the track is Dezaley Chemin de Fer.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45I don't have to ask you why it's called Chemin de Fer
0:30:45 > 0:30:47but when was it first called Chemin de Fer?
0:30:47 > 0:30:50The first call is something like 100 years ago
0:30:50 > 0:30:56because after they built the railway from Lausanne to Milano in 1860s,
0:30:56 > 0:31:02I think it was more or less 15 years after, we get the vineyards,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05and it was named Clos du Chemin de Fer.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08And the railway must've taken the land away from the vineyards?
0:31:08 > 0:31:12Yes, exactly. But all the big wall that you can see here
0:31:12 > 0:31:14is very good for the vineyards
0:31:14 > 0:31:18because we say we have first the sun,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21the second sun is a reflection from the lake,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24and the third sun is the heat from the wall.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Well, I've never seen anything like it in my life.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32The vineyard has been in Luc's family for over 100 years.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37His grandfather bought it in 1915 and now they are the only family
0:31:37 > 0:31:41authorised to produce Dezaley Chemin de Fer.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46The Chemin de Fer is made with grape Chasselas
0:31:46 > 0:31:50and the Chasselas is native from this region.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52But you will taste it.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55It's a great, very delicate wine.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01- Very good.- Are you happy with that?
0:32:01 > 0:32:02Yeah.
0:32:02 > 0:32:082014, this wine is getting ripe now because if you drink it too early,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11all the conditions are not good.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15I'm enjoying it very much indeed.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19I like to think that, in the early days of the railways,
0:32:19 > 0:32:23when there were steam trains, some of the smut, some of the ashes,
0:32:23 > 0:32:27might have fallen from the trains onto your terroir, onto your land,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30and that might be tasted in the wine.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32And if you don't mind me being irreverent,
0:32:32 > 0:32:36I shall always remember this as Chateaux Choo-choo!
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Chateaux Choo-choo, yeah.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57'While I could happily linger on Switzerland's Riviera,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00'Bradshaw's has more excitement in store.'
0:33:01 > 0:33:03What a beautiful train.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05It takes you back to a golden age.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12'Each of its recommended itineraries offers a new adventure.'
0:33:14 > 0:33:17As I approach my halfway point,
0:33:17 > 0:33:21I'll visit the capital city,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23artisan country
0:33:23 > 0:33:26and the international city of Geneva.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Not only do the Swiss build great railways,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39they market them brilliantly, too -
0:33:39 > 0:33:41put glass panels in the roof,
0:33:41 > 0:33:45give your trains names like Jungfraujoch,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Glacier Express or Golden Past,
0:33:48 > 0:33:52and people will flock from all over the world,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55possibly for the rail ride of their lifetime.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12'I'm changing trains at Montbovon
0:34:12 > 0:34:14'on the River Sarine in the Gruyere district.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20'If you lived through the 1970s,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23'you may recall that Swiss fondue was all the rage
0:34:23 > 0:34:28'and, as a teenager, I had to have my own fondue set.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32'So, with a real sense of bell-bottomed nostalgia,
0:34:32 > 0:34:33'I joined the Train du Fromage
0:34:33 > 0:34:37'to meet food historian Dominic Flammer.'
0:34:37 > 0:34:41- Dominic, what do we have in here? - We have the wine inside.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43We have first to heat the wine a little bit
0:34:43 > 0:34:45so that the cheese will melt better.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48It's called the caquelon, this thing,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50a rechaud and a caquelon in French.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53There isn't an English name for that, I imagine.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55We are drinking a Chasselas,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57because this is a wine with a high acidity
0:34:57 > 0:35:01and this will help us to digest the whole cheese we will eat.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04I like a food that requires you to drink wine.
0:35:04 > 0:35:05So do I.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09A-ha! Open my cheese.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11'Aboard the moving train,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13'the Gruyere and Vacherin come pre-packaged.'
0:35:15 > 0:35:17A lovely smell is arising from it now, Dominic.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21- Indeed.- It's a lovely consistency now.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24'Originally, in its simplest form,
0:35:24 > 0:35:28'bread, wine and cheese was a winter food for farmers
0:35:28 > 0:35:29'high up in the Alps.
0:35:29 > 0:35:34'But on this fondue express, it comes with one or two extras.'
0:35:34 > 0:35:37- Do you want a little bit? - Yes, please.- With pleasure.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41So this is like a cherry spirit, a kirsch?
0:35:41 > 0:35:42It is a cherry spirit.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44- Thank you.- You're welcome.
0:35:46 > 0:35:47Ooh!
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Smell it. Bon appetit, monsieur.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Merci bien. You should not lose the piece of bread.
0:35:53 > 0:35:54- No.- You know what happens?
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- I've no idea.- You have to offer me a glass of cherry,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00and you have to drink one, too.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08Wow, that's good, Dominic.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19- Hello.- Hello.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22- You have finished your fondue. - Yes, already.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Spectacular! Do you like to make a fondue?
0:36:25 > 0:36:29Yes, I do, but we have to be very careful with the cheese,
0:36:29 > 0:36:33because, when it's too young, when you are preparing it,
0:36:33 > 0:36:39there becomes a little bit of oil on the top of the fondue,
0:36:39 > 0:36:40and that's very bad.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44- That's very bad?- Yes, and it's not very good to eat also.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47So, if I were to cook a fondue...
0:36:47 > 0:36:52- Yes?- ..and if it turned out badly, I should blame the cheese?
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Yes, of course!
0:36:54 > 0:36:55- You're right.- That's great.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59SHE LAUGHS
0:36:59 > 0:37:00Of course!
0:37:03 > 0:37:08'I can stick around no longer amongst all this Alpine cheesiness.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10'The Swiss capital summons me.'
0:37:17 > 0:37:19My next stop will be Bern.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Bradshaw's says that it's often mentioned
0:37:21 > 0:37:24as the most picturesque town in Europe,
0:37:24 > 0:37:28with wonderfully preserved medieval towers and fountains.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30It's the seat of the Swiss Government.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Now, there's a couple of surprises.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36I would never have included Bern on my tourist trail
0:37:36 > 0:37:39and I don't suppose that many people could name it confidently
0:37:39 > 0:37:43as the capital of this highly democratic country.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56'Back in 1912, Switzerland's famed neutrality was tested.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00'The German Kaiser paid a visit, hoping that, if war came,
0:38:00 > 0:38:04'Switzerland would cover Germany's southern flank against France.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09'But despite a population whose majority was German-speaking,
0:38:09 > 0:38:13'the Swiss resolutely refused to take sides.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17'As the day draws to a close,
0:38:17 > 0:38:20'I'm looking forward to exploring Bern in the morning.'
0:38:32 > 0:38:36This ancient city, overlooking a loop of the Aare River,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38is just over a mile wide.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Bears feature on the coat of arms.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Legend has it that in 1191,
0:38:56 > 0:39:01Count Berthold V named the capital after killing a bear here.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07Amazingly, there is a bear pit today in the heart of Bern,
0:39:07 > 0:39:11providing a home to these now much-loved animals.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Switzerland is a federation of 26 little states,
0:39:20 > 0:39:22and its Parliament is behind me.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27It also has a Federal Council, a seven-man joint presidency,
0:39:27 > 0:39:30which has never been replaced at one fell swoop
0:39:30 > 0:39:33since it was founded in 1848.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Even the legislation of Parliament
0:39:35 > 0:39:38can be vetoed by public referendums.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42So, the Swiss democracy relies on public consultation,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45consensus and continuity.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47They've done pretty well out of it.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54Whilst I admire that balance and even-handedness,
0:39:54 > 0:39:56I wish to explore the Swiss sense of adventure.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02I'm following in the slipstream
0:40:02 > 0:40:04of one of Bern's greatest aviation heroes.
0:40:07 > 0:40:13Oskar Bider was a 22-year-old maverick pilot determined to become
0:40:13 > 0:40:16the first person to fly across the Alps in 1913.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20- Hello, Daniel.- Hi, Michael. - Good to see you.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22'To relive that epic flight,
0:40:22 > 0:40:26'I'm being taken aloft in a 1937 biplane
0:40:26 > 0:40:28'by pilot Daniel Ogg.'
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Now we make you look like a driver.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34'Thankfully, Daniel is experienced.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37'Bider obtained his pilot's licence after just a month.'
0:40:42 > 0:40:45OK, Daniel. Let's go flying.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Yes, let's do it.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54Even in a plane more modern than Bider's,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57it all feels frighteningly flimsy.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03OK, Michael, are you ready?
0:41:03 > 0:41:04I'm ready.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06OK. Up we go.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35I must have crossed the Alps dozens of times,
0:41:35 > 0:41:40but only when you go up in a small plane like this, a little biplane,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43feels so flimsy and so tiny,
0:41:43 > 0:41:47do you realise what a formidable obstacle
0:41:47 > 0:41:49the Alps would have been
0:41:49 > 0:41:50a century ago.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56You had to be a very brave man to fly across them.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Following an unsuccessful attempt,
0:42:09 > 0:42:14Bider set off again on the 13th of July 1913,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16only a decade after the first plane ever
0:42:16 > 0:42:19had been flown by the Wright brothers.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Flying in this wonderful biplane,
0:42:25 > 0:42:30the Alps today are crystal clear and snowy covered.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35He piloted his monoplane, rising to 11,800 feet,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38across this mighty range,
0:42:38 > 0:42:40setting a new altitude record
0:42:40 > 0:42:43before landing safely in Milan.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47Switzerland's Alps had been conquered from the air
0:42:47 > 0:42:49in Bider's greatest triumph.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Just behind me is the Jungfraujoch,
0:42:53 > 0:42:59the shoulder of mountain over which Oskar Bider flew.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10Taking to the air helps me to appreciate
0:43:10 > 0:43:13what this daring young man achieved,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16and I salute his courage.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31By 1913, the growing railway network
0:43:31 > 0:43:35had made Switzerland a European transport hub,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37as every year thousands of travellers
0:43:37 > 0:43:40passed between southern and northern Europe.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43They were tempted by the dizzying choice of routes
0:43:43 > 0:43:46and lyrical descriptions in my Bradshaw's Guide.
0:43:49 > 0:43:50My next stop will be Biel,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53which Bradshaw's tells me is, "a busy place
0:43:53 > 0:43:55"near the northern end of the Bielersee,
0:43:55 > 0:43:58"a seat of the watchmaking trade."
0:43:58 > 0:44:01It's time to see what makes Switzerland tick.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Biel in German, or Bienne in French -
0:44:07 > 0:44:10the city straddles the two linguistic areas -
0:44:10 > 0:44:13dates back to Celtic and Roman times.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17At the time of my Bradshaw's,
0:44:17 > 0:44:20it had become a watch-manufacturing centre
0:44:20 > 0:44:23at the heart of a revolution in railway timekeeping.
0:44:23 > 0:44:27Key innovator in this field was watchmaking company Omega.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29Hello, Petros.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33Watch historian Petros Protopapas has offered to guide me
0:44:33 > 0:44:35through this delicate craft.
0:44:35 > 0:44:40Was there a reason why there were lots of Swiss people
0:44:40 > 0:44:43who were so capable of doing this precision work?
0:44:43 > 0:44:44They practically had to do it.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47They had to learn it, they had to live by it,
0:44:47 > 0:44:48because in the winter time,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51a lot of Swiss people couldn't work the land,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53so they had to learn a new trade,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55like the trade to work machines,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59the trade to create new pieces, to produce dials, to produce hands.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01So it was a life-saving exercise.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05In 1910, Omega developed the chronograph,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07which included a stopwatch,
0:45:07 > 0:45:10and it became a vital tool for the artillery
0:45:10 > 0:45:12during the First World War.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14It may be obvious to you,
0:45:14 > 0:45:18but why is an accurate watch so useful to the military?
0:45:18 > 0:45:20It was a question of survival.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22You imagine yourself being on a trench -
0:45:22 > 0:45:26you would need to know how far away you are from your enemy.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30So the only way you can do this is if you have a chronograph
0:45:30 > 0:45:33that has a so-called telemeter scale on it.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35So imagine, you look on the horizon,
0:45:35 > 0:45:39and you could make out the lighting, the flash of the gun being fired.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43You would start instantly the chronograph at the flash you see.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46And then when you hear the corresponding sound,
0:45:46 > 0:45:47the bang of that very gun,
0:45:47 > 0:45:49you would stop the chronograph,
0:45:49 > 0:45:52and off the tip of the stopped seconds hand,
0:45:52 > 0:45:54you can literally read the distance.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59The newly developed watch on the wrist
0:45:59 > 0:46:03was much easier to access than fiddling around for a fob.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12I've been given very rare access to go behind the scenes.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17- Hello, David.- Hello, Michael. How are you?- Very well.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19- So many doors to come through.- Yes.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21It's like a high security place.
0:46:21 > 0:46:22So, please, remove your shoes.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27- Next...- Hairnet.- Hairnet, yes.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33It may look as though I'm ready to go into space,
0:46:33 > 0:46:36but the deadly enemy of precision is dust.
0:46:43 > 0:46:44What do you think?
0:46:44 > 0:46:47Absolutely...absolutely extraordinary.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50An enormous room. Obviously, beautifully clean,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53- but also almost entirely quiet.- Yes.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Watchmaking, you know, we must be some kind of calm, you know?
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Must be quiet.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02Here, we only deal with the assembly of mechanical movements.
0:47:02 > 0:47:08This tradition of hand-built watches dates back to 1848,
0:47:08 > 0:47:11when Omega's 23-year-old founder Louis Brandt
0:47:11 > 0:47:15began assembling watches from parts produced by local craftsmen.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17We still need people,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21we still rely on the judgment of the eye of the people.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25We just leave, I would say, all the boring things to the automation,
0:47:25 > 0:47:28and all the tricky things, all the assembly,
0:47:28 > 0:47:29must be done by people.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32David wants me to assemble the movement
0:47:32 > 0:47:36used inside some of the company's most precise watches.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39This one has 201 parts.
0:47:39 > 0:47:40It's just like a Lego.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44Remember that thing. It's an easy thing, watchmaking.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47We have a main plate, we just add some wheels, we put a bridge on top,
0:47:47 > 0:47:49screw them down, and it's finished.
0:47:49 > 0:47:50Quite an easy thing.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53But the problem is, they're rather tiny, these pieces.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55Mm... We'll look at it.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58You take the right one.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02The right, the left one on the left.
0:48:02 > 0:48:07Then...on top, you have to put the ratchet.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09It's quite an easy thing.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12'David is the quality control manager,
0:48:12 > 0:48:14'so nothing escapes his eye.'
0:48:14 > 0:48:16OK. Let me give that a go.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18No. That one first.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20This one first, for some reason.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22- On the right. - On the right. That's easy enough.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25- The left. - This one from the left.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27- You're good.- On the left.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31- Now, this is more difficult.- Yeah. - Tricky little fellows.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35Now, this has a square hole.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39- It's in.- I believe, er...yes. - It's in.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42The materials have changed across more than 100 years,
0:48:42 > 0:48:46but the artisan skills have remained largely the same.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49Just in between, on the jewel. It's OK.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52- Is that OK? - Yes, excellent. Good work.
0:48:52 > 0:48:53Excellent!
0:48:53 > 0:48:55If that wasn't fiddly enough,
0:48:55 > 0:48:59David is going to show me how to add five tiny drops of oil.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04That is the tricky part, but it's also the fun part of the operation.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06OK. We'll give this...
0:49:06 > 0:49:08- I don't have very good eyesight, you know.- Let me show you.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11- Each time you press the pedal...- Yes.- See?
0:49:11 > 0:49:14- Ooh!- ..you get some grease.
0:49:17 > 0:49:18Three...
0:49:20 > 0:49:21..four...
0:49:23 > 0:49:24..five.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26- What do you think, David? - Let me have a look.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28OK.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31- You know what?- Yes? - It's a terrible mess, you know?
0:49:31 > 0:49:32There is way too much oil,
0:49:32 > 0:49:35and you've put a lot of oil on top of the wheel.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37- Yeah, I missed...- Yes, you missed.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40- But you're not a watchmaker. - I'm not a watchmaker.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42I congratulate the people in this room.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44- That is so intricate.- Yeah.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Ah, the Swiss didn't become famous for their watches for nothing!
0:49:51 > 0:49:54Suitably humbled, I'm heading back to the station,
0:49:54 > 0:49:57and south once more to Lake Geneva.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05- Bonjour, Monsieur. Ca va?- Ca va.
0:50:07 > 0:50:08- Merci, Monsieur.- Merci.
0:50:10 > 0:50:15In 1913, this journey would have taken over three hours by train,
0:50:15 > 0:50:17but by Swiss InterCity today,
0:50:17 > 0:50:19I'll arrive in just over an hour and a half.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29I've followed my guidebook pace by pace.
0:50:29 > 0:50:30"From the railway station,
0:50:30 > 0:50:34"the broad rue descends to the Pont du Mont Blanc,
0:50:34 > 0:50:36"across the end of the lake.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39"The views from the bridge and from the neighbouring quays
0:50:39 > 0:50:43"are very beautiful, especially on clear summer evenings."
0:50:53 > 0:50:58I'm up early to explore my final destination, Geneva.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02At the time of my Bradshaw's,
0:51:02 > 0:51:05this small but already prosperous city,
0:51:05 > 0:51:07beneath its emblem, the Jet d'Eau,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10would have been buzzing and cosmopolitan.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16But what truly marks this city out as world-class
0:51:16 > 0:51:20is its involvement in international affairs.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26The League of Nations was headquartered here,
0:51:26 > 0:51:30where the first Geneva Conventions had been signed in 1864,
0:51:30 > 0:51:33and it was the birthplace of
0:51:33 > 0:51:35the International Committee of the Red Cross.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42Just up the road from its imposing headquarters,
0:51:42 > 0:51:44I'm extremely lucky to be getting access
0:51:44 > 0:51:47to a Red Cross checkpoint exercise,
0:51:47 > 0:51:49run by trainer Benjamin Varen.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53What is the object of the exercise?
0:51:53 > 0:51:56The object of this exercise is to prepare our new colleagues,
0:51:56 > 0:51:58who've recently joined the ICRC,
0:51:58 > 0:52:01to go to the field and to know a little bit what they could expect
0:52:01 > 0:52:03when there's been an outbreak of fighting,
0:52:03 > 0:52:05people have been displaced, people have been injured.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08- This will help to ease the pain. - OK.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12In real life, you must have found yourself at military checkpoints
0:52:12 > 0:52:14like the one you're simulating today.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17Yes. I think the one that marked me the most was when I was
0:52:17 > 0:52:21at a checkpoint and the soldiers there seemed intoxicated,
0:52:21 > 0:52:24and it was a very, very tense situation,
0:52:24 > 0:52:26because I had trouble connecting to them.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29The first thing you need to do at a checkpoint is try to connect with
0:52:29 > 0:52:32the people, and if you can't do that, it can go wrong
0:52:32 > 0:52:34and it can be quite scary as well.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38The shock of seeing 40,000 casualties
0:52:38 > 0:52:43at the Battle of Solferino spurred Geneva businessmen Henri Dunant
0:52:43 > 0:52:45to found the Red Cross.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Originally, it had a paid staff of only eight,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52but that quickly grew after the First World War.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54Today, it has over 14,000.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04I've clearly stumbled upon a checkpoint.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08The road is barred with a tree trunk,
0:53:08 > 0:53:11and there are four or five heavily armed guys here,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14who all look pretty menacing to me.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16Not the sort of people you want to mess with.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20Today, Dunant's abiding principles -
0:53:20 > 0:53:25to provide a permanent relief agency for humanitarian aid in wartime -
0:53:25 > 0:53:27are followed often in the face of great danger.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32OK. Get out. Everybody out of the car.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37Red Cross staff are now deployed in 80 countries,
0:53:37 > 0:53:41and for these trainees, learning how to negotiate is key.
0:53:43 > 0:53:44OK, on the line. Here.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45Everyone.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49I want to know what you are doing on this road.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51We are heading to the hospital.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55Here I have the notification that we received the agreement
0:53:55 > 0:53:56with your government.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58Give me your passports.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02What are you exactly going to do in this hospital?
0:54:02 > 0:54:05Um, our aim is completely humanitarian.
0:54:05 > 0:54:10We are helping the victims of violence and armed conflict.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Tragically, attacks on the Red Cross have become more frequent,
0:54:15 > 0:54:18and workers have often been targeted.
0:54:20 > 0:54:21Excuse me, sir.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24I think the best for the wounded person would be
0:54:24 > 0:54:27if we would transport her to the hospital.
0:54:27 > 0:54:28If that is OK with you.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31- You can take her with you? - Yes, we can.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33- You have a stretcher or anything? - Yes.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35OK, you can already put her on the stretcher.
0:54:35 > 0:54:36Can William come and help?
0:54:36 > 0:54:40The team from the International Committee of the Red Cross
0:54:40 > 0:54:43are being given a very hard time by the soldiers.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46In my judgment, they're giving the answers right,
0:54:46 > 0:54:50but they're being taken further and further in the interrogation,
0:54:50 > 0:54:54and it must really be pretty shaking to go through this.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57Is it OK for you if my colleague just check very fast
0:54:57 > 0:55:00if you don't have any weapons, because it's about our security.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02Come on, get it done. She's injured.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05It seems that the situation is really deteriorating.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07They've been here an awfully long time now.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Tempers are getting a little bit frayed.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12Voices are now being raised. It's not going so well.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Give back the passports.
0:55:16 > 0:55:17Thank you very much.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19The Red Cross worker...
0:55:19 > 0:55:20Check they're all there.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25..is armed only with one of the most recognisable symbols in the world -
0:55:25 > 0:55:27the Red Cross on a white background,
0:55:27 > 0:55:29the reverse of the Swiss flag.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33Do you have any safety and security information for us?
0:55:33 > 0:55:36- What we have to do?- There's been shooting this morning in this area.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39That's all I can tell you. Now, if you want to risk your life and
0:55:39 > 0:55:42go this way, with the clearance you have received and the explanation
0:55:42 > 0:55:44you have given me, OK, you can proceed.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46It's at your own risk.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47One, two, three.
0:55:49 > 0:55:50Don't worry, don't worry. Stay calm.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55It seems this group has successfully negotiated its way through.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57GUNFIRE
0:55:57 > 0:55:59Get down! Get down!
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Move! Move down.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09Move, move, move! Come on!
0:56:12 > 0:56:13Move down!
0:56:13 > 0:56:15Go to the car and move.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17Now!
0:56:20 > 0:56:22A most extraordinary turn of events.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26Just as they'd negotiated their way through, we came under fire.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28Explosions all around.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30The soldiers have put them in the car.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37A dramatic conclusion to events.
0:56:39 > 0:56:44Seeing the Red Cross in action makes me realise what an impact
0:56:44 > 0:56:47the qualities of this small nation have had.
0:56:49 > 0:56:54A country dominated by mountains and, in winter, by snow,
0:56:54 > 0:56:59has nonetheless possibly the world's most efficient railway system.
0:56:59 > 0:57:04That suggests that the Swiss people are ingenious and exceptional.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08They sell watches and banking services to the world,
0:57:08 > 0:57:12and host several international organisations.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16And yet, over the centuries, they've held themselves apart,
0:57:16 > 0:57:19remaining neutral during two World Wars,
0:57:19 > 0:57:23and staying out of Nato and the European Union.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25Unlike most European countries,
0:57:25 > 0:57:29neither their people nor their beautiful cities
0:57:29 > 0:57:32have been devastated during the 20th century.
0:57:32 > 0:57:38They have thrived on a fondue of prosperity and peace.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43Next time, I leave Europe to take in the sights,
0:57:43 > 0:57:48sounds and tastes of North Africa.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52So many flavours. They explode on the tongue.
0:57:52 > 0:57:57Learn how the Sultan of Morocco handed his country to the French.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00France had promised him many things which never happened.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03They would rule over Morocco as they wished.
0:58:03 > 0:58:06And marvel at a modern masterpiece.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10This is not only a building of worship,
0:58:10 > 0:58:13but a celebration of what the Moroccan people can achieve.