0:00:02 > 0:00:06'I'm embarking on a new railway adventure
0:00:06 > 0:00:09'that will take me across the heart of Europe.'
0:00:11 > 0:00:15I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel
0:00:19 > 0:00:21for the British tourist.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26'It told travellers where to go, what to see
0:00:26 > 0:00:29'and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks
0:00:29 > 0:00:31'crisscrossing the Continent.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32'Now, a century later,
0:00:32 > 0:00:37'I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,
0:00:37 > 0:00:42'where 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 > 0:00:49couldn't know that its way of life
0:00:49 > 0:00:52would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.
0:01:07 > 0:01:13I'm using my Bradshaw's to explore some of Europe's northern reaches.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17100 years ago, the few Britons who ventured through these parts
0:01:17 > 0:01:21found beautiful cities and natural wonders.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25I'm beginning a rail journey through the Baltic Sea region,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28passing through Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31A century ago, those countries
0:01:31 > 0:01:34long vulnerable to domination by their larger neighbours
0:01:34 > 0:01:37were nationally self-conscious,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40although part of the Tsar's vast empire.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45They chafed against attempts to make them conform to Russian ways.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50If Russia went to war with Germany, they would fight over the Baltic,
0:01:50 > 0:01:55but, out of the chaos, new independent states might emerge.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00The Bradshaw traveller might have sensed hope for the future.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10My journey starts in Riga, capital of Latvia.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Then I'll travel north to Estonia's southernmost city, Valga,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18before arriving in Tartu, the nation's cultural capital.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Heading back to the Baltic Sea,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23I'll explore the medieval city of Tallinn
0:02:23 > 0:02:25and cross the Gulf of Finland
0:02:25 > 0:02:27to visit the daughter of the Baltic,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Helsinki.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Journey's end will be Tampere, known as the Manchester of Finland.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39This time, I'm caught up in a macabre medieval tournament.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42They're striking at each other with their swords.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45They're using their shields to strike each other's throats.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51'I take an invigorating dip in the Baltic Sea...'
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Argh! It's...
0:02:53 > 0:02:57absolutely freezing!
0:02:57 > 0:02:59'The bell tolls for me...'
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Is it dangerous for the hearing?
0:03:01 > 0:03:05No, no. It takes away, er...headache.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06THEY LAUGH
0:03:06 > 0:03:08LOUD RING
0:03:08 > 0:03:10That's an enormous noise!
0:03:10 > 0:03:13'I hone my barbecue skills...'
0:03:13 > 0:03:16My sausage has burst a bit there. Is that all right?
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'..and find peace on the water.'
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Completely different and special moment.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32My first stop will be Riga.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37Bradshaw's tells me it's about five miles inland, up the River Dvina.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39"Among the Russian Baltic cities,
0:03:39 > 0:03:44"it's second only to St Petersburg in commercial importance."
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Indeed, there had been a population explosion in Riga,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51making it one of the Russian Empire's largest cities
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and its busiest port.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I am excited to be setting foot in Latvia
0:03:58 > 0:04:00for the first time in my life.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18I imagine early-20th-century travellers also feeling the thrill.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28The city's position on the estuary of the River Dvina, or Daugava,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31helped to turn Riga into a trading centre.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36But her fortunes and identity were defined by her powerful neighbours -
0:04:36 > 0:04:39the rival empires of Germany and Russia.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44An intriguing reference in my Bradshaw's
0:04:44 > 0:04:48is that among the inhabitants are many Germans -
0:04:48 > 0:04:50not Russians but Germans.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53And here I am, in the Town Hall Square.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Bradshaw's points out the lofty tower of the Church of St Peter's
0:04:57 > 0:05:02and the Hall of the Blackheads of Riga.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06And now you look at it, it's as German as sauerkraut.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Latvia fell wholly under Russian control
0:05:12 > 0:05:15by the end of the 18th century but, prior to that,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19the country had been ruled by German Christian crusaders.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22The 14th-century Brotherhood of Blackheads
0:05:22 > 0:05:26was a Riga guild for German merchants.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32But that German footprint soon fades away once you leave the old town.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35'I'm keen to learn more about the history of the city
0:05:35 > 0:05:38'with historian Juris Berze.'
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- Hello, Juris.- Hello.- I'm Michael. - Juris. Nice to meet you.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43- What a lovely tram!- Yes, indeed.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45It's a lovely original vehicle
0:05:45 > 0:05:49from one of the first Riga tramlines of 1901.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- Magnificent.- Yes, absolutely.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- Looks like I am being put to work here.- Yes.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59We've got to change the points, I assume, like that.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Ah, done. Good.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- And now...we have to change the wire, yeah?- This and this.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11- From this wire to that wire? - Yes.- OK, here we go.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14- Pull the ring towards the end.- Yeah.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I've got to go onto this wire here.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- OK.- Good, thank you very much. We're ready to go.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34It runs very well for such an old tram.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Well, because it has been well-maintained.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42What sort of city was Riga in 1913?
0:06:42 > 0:06:45It might appear to be just one large construction site,
0:06:45 > 0:06:50with dozens of new, modern and sophisticated,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52mostly Art Nouveau style, apartment buildings,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56going up just on every other street of the city centre.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Riga was experiencing an industrial boom.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07According to my Bradshaw's, its population reached 300,000 in 1911.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11By 1913, it exceeded half a million.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Riga was growing into one of the largest Russian imperial cities.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22It was well connected by railways to even distant parts of Russia,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26which greatly facilitated transportation of raw materials
0:07:26 > 0:07:29to those dozens of newly built factories.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36But the facade of prosperity masked a recent period of unrest,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39sparked by deepening economic crisis in Russia.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45On 9th January, 1905, in St Petersburg,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48more than 100 people were killed
0:07:48 > 0:07:52when the Imperial Guard opened fire on a peaceful demonstration.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Certainly, the massacre at St Petersburg had
0:07:57 > 0:07:59a serious consequence in Riga
0:07:59 > 0:08:03and maybe, unlike anywhere else in the region, in the eastern Baltics,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Riga had tens of thousands of proletarian-class people
0:08:06 > 0:08:09who, of course, were very eager to improve their living conditions
0:08:09 > 0:08:12as well, and they went on the streets to demonstrate
0:08:12 > 0:08:14and to demand a better life.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Four days later, a large crowd of workers
0:08:18 > 0:08:22from Riga's textile mills and docks marched
0:08:22 > 0:08:24onto the frozen Daugava River.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26What they did not expect,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29that the soldiers lined up along the embankment, would open fire,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32not to let them enter the city centre.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33And when that happened,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36the ice partly broke and many people got drowned.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38It was a big tragedy.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43It's clear that more than 70 people were killed and 200 injured,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45but no-one knows how many drowned.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49The uprising was an important moment
0:08:49 > 0:08:52in Latvia's long struggle for independence.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Finally, following the Allied victory in the First World War,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Latvians got their first taste of liberty.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03It's a very impressive monument.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Well, I would not exaggerate to say
0:09:05 > 0:09:08that this monument is the symbol of Latvian freedom,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12the symbol of the hopes and passion of the people of this country.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17The lady on the top of the monument is named Milda by people.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19She is an allegory to freedom,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22while the three golden stars are the symbols
0:09:22 > 0:09:25of the three historic provinces of Latvia.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31The 42-metre-high monument was built to honour soldiers killed
0:09:31 > 0:09:35during the Latvian War of Independence in 1918.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38And although it was almost demolished in 1940,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40following the Soviet occupation,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44it has remained a symbol of Latvian liberty.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46This street is called Freedom Street today,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49but in the course of the 20th century,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52the name of the street has been changed several times.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56So, until the First World War, for the period of 1913,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59it would be called, by the Tsar, Alexander Street.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01After the establishment of the Latvian state,
0:10:01 > 0:10:06it was then renamed Freedom Street or Brivibas Iela.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10During the Nazi occupation, it was called Adolf Hitler Strasse,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14while when the Soviets re-entered the country,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17they preferred to change the name to Lenin Street.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22But in the year 1991, as the Latvian state was re-established,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24it was once again started to be called Freedom Street.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27So, really, the recent history of Latvia
0:10:27 > 0:10:30can be read in the name of this street.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Absolutely. You're absolutely right. It is more than symbolic.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44'Today, independent Riga is a cultural hub.'
0:10:46 > 0:10:49And in the middle of this proud city, in hangars
0:10:49 > 0:10:53originally built to house zeppelin airships, is the central market.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Around 3,000 vendors sell delicious products,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03from fish to fresh vegetables.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07If I could stay, there would be many more treasures to see,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11since Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage city.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15But I must press on north to Estonia and its southernmost city, Valga.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34This line was built in the 19th century
0:11:34 > 0:11:36to connect Riga with St Petersburg,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40at a time when all Baltic trains ran towards Russia.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50So, even today, if you want to travel
0:11:50 > 0:11:53between the Baltic capitals of Riga and Tallinn,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55there are no through services.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03- Hello.- Hello.- Hello, do you mind if I sit here?- Sure.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Um...
0:12:05 > 0:12:08BOTTLES CLINK
0:12:08 > 0:12:13- That's a promising sound, isn't it? - Empty bottles?- No, no, full bottles.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- And what else have I got in here? - Oh.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- What is this? - In Latvian, it's called "vobla".
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- Vobla. Ah.- Yes.- And is it good?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Yeah, it's good with beer.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28- With beer, OK.- Yeah.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Would you like to explain to me how you eat this thing?
0:12:32 > 0:12:37You don't need to eat it, if you like. You need to chew it.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- Chew it, yes.- Yes. - I can believe that, yes.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42You want to take off the head.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44FISH CRUNCHES
0:12:44 > 0:12:47- Nice crackling sound as the head comes off.- Yes.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51- Quite smelly.- Yeah.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52Like, um...
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- You can take, like, one piece, like this.- Yeah.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03- And then, like, try to chew it. - OK, let me try that.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- It's quite a tough old fish. - Yes, yes.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Argh!
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Mmm.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Mmm, it's not bad.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- It's very tough, isn't it? - Yes, it is tough.- Very, very...
0:13:26 > 0:13:30And it's also really salty. That's why you need beer.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33That's why I need beer. Let's have some beer.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36'I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer even pork scratchings.'
0:13:36 > 0:13:40- And is it unusual to eat it on a train?- Very unusual.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:13:42 > 0:13:44The first time in my life eating fish on a train.
0:13:46 > 0:13:53- We're heading for Estonia, but we have to change at Valga.- Yeah.- Mmm.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57- No through train. - No, not yet. Building.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Well, in the phase of development, early phase of development.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- Is that right?- Rail Baltica.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09Come here 2020, then you can reach from Tallinn to Berlin directly.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14'Exciting times, because this high-speed train project
0:14:14 > 0:14:16'will, for the first time ever,
0:14:16 > 0:14:21'integrate the Baltic States into the Western European rail network.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30'While I allow the vobla to settle, there's time to enjoy the scenery.'
0:14:52 > 0:14:56I've arrived in Valga on the border between Latvia and Estonia.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00This is an Estonian train. Actually, I'm IN Estonia.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04I've arrived here without any passport control or customs.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Nowadays, frontiers count for so little,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09but the station is still quite grand,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12reminiscent of a time when frontier towns mattered.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17In the early 20th century,
0:15:17 > 0:15:22Estonia and Latvia decided to divide their countries by nationality,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26but where the population was mixed, as in Valga,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28they reverted to a natural geographical feature
0:15:28 > 0:15:30to mark the boundary.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48'I've completed the first leg of my journey
0:15:48 > 0:15:50'and two more countries lie ahead.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53'To put that in perspective, the combined area of Latvia,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57'Estonia and Finland is smaller than France.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02'I'm heading to the cultural capital of Estonia, Tartu,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04'about an hour away.'
0:16:19 > 0:16:20My first stop today will be Tartu,
0:16:20 > 0:16:25which Bradshaw's tells me is an important university city.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27That could be a good place to investigate
0:16:27 > 0:16:30the origins of Estonian national feeling.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33What was it that first made Estonians
0:16:33 > 0:16:36lift up their patriotic hearts?
0:16:36 > 0:16:40CHOIR SINGS TRADITIONAL ESTONIAN SONG
0:16:50 > 0:16:55Tartu is an historic university city,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58rather like Britain's Oxford or Cambridge.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Which may explain why, in 1869,
0:17:04 > 0:17:09it became home to the first-ever Estonian National Song Festival.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13CHOIR SINGS TRADITIONAL ESTONIAN SONG
0:17:18 > 0:17:23A celebration of the Estonian nation's language and culture,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26in defiance of German influence and Russian rule.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30# Ta lendab lillest
0:17:30 > 0:17:33# Lillesse
0:17:33 > 0:17:40# Ja lendab mesipuu poole
0:17:40 > 0:17:42# Ja touseb... #
0:17:42 > 0:17:46This love of singing is in the Estonian DNA
0:17:46 > 0:17:50and visitors to Estonia at the turn of the 20th century
0:17:50 > 0:17:55would have heard the sound of thousands of voices
0:17:55 > 0:17:57on National Song Festival day.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00MUSIC: Ta Lendab Mesipuu Poole
0:18:00 > 0:18:02'I'm heading to the lower town
0:18:02 > 0:18:05'with its dramatic 13th-century ruined cathedral
0:18:05 > 0:18:08'to hear a choir, made up of singers from Tartu.'
0:18:08 > 0:18:11# Nii hing, oh hing
0:18:11 > 0:18:15# Sa raskel a'al
0:18:15 > 0:18:22# Kuis ohkad sa isamaa poole
0:18:22 > 0:18:26# Kas kodu sa
0:18:26 > 0:18:29# Kas vooral maal
0:18:29 > 0:18:37# Kuis ihkad isamaa poole
0:18:37 > 0:18:42# Kuis ihkad isamaa
0:18:42 > 0:18:51# Poole. #
0:18:51 > 0:18:54APPLAUSE
0:18:54 > 0:18:58That was absolutely marvellous. You're all singing with your hearts.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00What were you singing about?
0:19:00 > 0:19:07It was about, um, our fatherland, flying back to the bee house,
0:19:07 > 0:19:13so it's like...imaginary fatherland for him or her.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15And this is, yeah,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19a really important song in Estonia and for Estonian singers.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24All the singing festivals usually end with this song.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29- How did you feel singing that song? - It was really holy-like.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33- For us, music is what we believe in, for Estonians.- What is it?
0:19:33 > 0:19:36What does it mean to you in your life? Is it very important?
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Music is almost everything to me,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42especially to sing with all my friends
0:19:42 > 0:19:48and the crowd stands up and everyone cries and it's amazing.
0:19:48 > 0:20:00# Kuis ihkad isamaa poole. #
0:20:00 > 0:20:04The extraordinary power of the voice was proved again by Estonians
0:20:04 > 0:20:09in August 1989, when Estonia was united in song
0:20:09 > 0:20:12in what's become known as the "Singing Revolution".
0:20:12 > 0:20:16I'm meeting Tartu University professor Marju Lauristin,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19a former senior politician in the Estonian parliament
0:20:19 > 0:20:22who played a pivotal part in the revolution.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25So, Marju, what role did singing play
0:20:25 > 0:20:27in liberating Estonia from the Soviet Union?
0:20:27 > 0:20:32I would say that it played a very important role in two senses.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35One is direct one, meaning singing,
0:20:35 > 0:20:41and the first big this kind of political singing night
0:20:41 > 0:20:45was in June '88, in Tallinn, in the big Song Festival arena,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48when young people started to gather spontaneously,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51singing patriotic songs, waving national flags,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55which then were prohibited still in the Soviet Union.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58And it was like the start of the whole Singing Revolution.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00And then, after that, very soon,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03we had the first political gathering at the Song Festival,
0:21:03 > 0:21:08with speeches, already demands for independence, for democracy.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11And during Soviet time, Soviets, in this sense,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14they didn't understand the meaning of that.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17And they alluded, "Oh, it's ancient tradition, 19th century,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19"it doesn't matter."
0:21:19 > 0:21:22But this vocal and peaceful cry for freedom
0:21:22 > 0:21:26led to a striking demonstration of solidarity.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30The Baltic Chain is the most spectacular event
0:21:30 > 0:21:33of the Baltic Singing Revolution.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37People standing on the roads through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41holding hands, together demonstrating
0:21:41 > 0:21:43their willingness for freedom.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50Two million Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian people joined hands
0:21:50 > 0:21:55to create an unbroken human chain, stretching 360 miles,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58from Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, to Tallinn.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05It was a spectacular thing because people, really,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09they came from every place in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11with cars, with bicycles.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Everybody knew where is this kilometre they have to reach
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and find other people and it has also become the symbol now
0:22:18 > 0:22:19for the younger generation.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23They feel that it was very special, feeling this kind of unity.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- And you were there.- I was there but I wasn't in the forest,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29because I happened then to be the
0:22:29 > 0:22:32vice speaker of the Estonian parliament
0:22:32 > 0:22:36and I was standing on the top of Parliament House.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40We have the big tower called Tall Hermann,
0:22:40 > 0:22:45and I was saying, "Freedom, freedom, freedom," in three languages.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48It was a very big moment in my life.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03After such stirring conviviality,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07I resume the journey alone, on a train taking me
0:23:07 > 0:23:10to the principal city of this remarkable country.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16My next stop will be Tallinn, which Bradshaw's tells me
0:23:16 > 0:23:19is a naval port and capital of Estonia,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22with a gothic cathedral from 1329.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27It attracts many tourists looking for its medieval sites.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29There are good views from the heights.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33The city looks out due north over the Gulf of Finland.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Until the late 20th century, that view was skewed to the East,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40but now very much to the West.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49This brand-new high-speed Swiss-built train
0:23:49 > 0:23:53contrasts sharply with the early Russian steam trains.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14Tallinn is on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16First settled more than 3,000 years ago,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19it's one of the oldest cities in Northern Europe.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Tallinn has a magnificent collection
0:24:40 > 0:24:43of medieval and other historic buildings
0:24:43 > 0:24:48and on a late spring day, when it's warm, everybody's out,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50it feels like the whole city is at a party.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56And it turns out that's exactly right,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58because within these fairy-tale walls and towers,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02Tallinn is celebrating its week-long annual festival,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Tallinn Old Town Days,
0:25:05 > 0:25:10when the city is taken over by an entertaining mix of markets,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13concerts and even medieval tournaments.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20I've walked into a medieval joust
0:25:20 > 0:25:23and what is clear is that these people are taking it seriously.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26They're really fighting.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29They're striking at each other with their swords,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32they're using their shields to strike each other's throats.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34They really mean to win.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Why are you here? What is all this about?
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Well, it's a sport competition.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Knight fighting.
0:25:48 > 0:25:54It's part of Old Tallinn Days' events and we come to fight,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57participate, compete and take all the gold.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59- Where have you come from?- Israel.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Here you can see people from Ukraine, Belarus,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Russia, Poland, Finland, and in other events,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09you can see people even from America and Latin America.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11It seems to be very brutal.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- You really hit each other with your swords.- Yes.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16- You really knee each other. - It's martial arts.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20- So, it looks like your nose got a bit damaged.- A little bit.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22- It's a small one. - What happened to your nose?
0:26:22 > 0:26:27My mask, it touched my nose and, like, press a little bit.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30The fight's getting very close to us here.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32- It's really professional fight. - Ah! They're down.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40'The tournament lasts an exhausting eight hours
0:26:40 > 0:26:45'but unable to spend all day watching knights in shining armour,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49'it's time for me to take refuge back in the early 20th century.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54'At the time of my guide book, trains from nearby St Petersburg
0:26:54 > 0:26:57'brought Russian holiday-makers into Tallinn.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04'But while the Baltic Sea is calm, it can also be very cold.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09'In harsh winters, swimmers contend with swathes of ice.'
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Amongst the attractions of Tallinn, according to Bradshaw's,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17bathing in the Baltic Sea.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20You'd have to be a lunatic to go in before midsummer.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Hello!
0:27:24 > 0:27:27'But these fine men in trunks are cold-water thrill-seekers,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30'who belong to the Tallinn Ice Swimming Club.'
0:27:31 > 0:27:34So, I assume that you prefer swimming in the summer
0:27:34 > 0:27:35when it's nice and warm.
0:27:35 > 0:27:42- No, actually, the summer is the saddest time for us.- Why?
0:27:42 > 0:27:44It's just not cold enough
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and we don't get this kind of cold kick from swimming
0:27:48 > 0:27:50if it's zero or even minus one.
0:27:50 > 0:27:55Some people compare it with narcotics, to get this ice "high".
0:27:56 > 0:27:59On this spring day, the temperature in the Baltic Sea
0:27:59 > 0:28:03hovers around 11 Celsius - pretty cold by British standards.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08- Ready?- Ready.- OK.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Argh!
0:28:14 > 0:28:15Argh!
0:28:15 > 0:28:20Argh! It's...absolutely freezing!
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Argh!
0:28:22 > 0:28:24'Perhaps I shouldn't give myself
0:28:24 > 0:28:28'such a hard time, because amongst these swimmers is Henri Karma,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31'an ice-swimming champion.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37'He's swum just over 2km in water that was only zero degrees.'
0:28:37 > 0:28:40My new, rather mad friends,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43have been out in the sea now for ten minutes.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46I can tell you that the Baltic Sea delivers quite a kick
0:28:46 > 0:28:52but, luckily, the Baltic region also supplies an antidote called balsam.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55'A traditional spirit of herbs and vodka.'
0:28:55 > 0:28:56Mmm.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59Said once to have revived Catherine the Great,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02and I don't think she'd been in the sea.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32I'm staying at the St Petersbourg Hotel, which is mentioned
0:29:32 > 0:29:35in this online version of my Bradshaw's guide.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40It took a lot of communication to organise the Baltic Chain
0:29:40 > 0:29:44and the Singing Revolution and today,
0:29:44 > 0:29:48Estonians associate freedom of digital communication
0:29:48 > 0:29:50with political liberty.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55A vast proportion of the population is connected to the internet.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59In public squares and on trains, there's properly functioning Wi-Fi.
0:29:59 > 0:30:04Here, in my hotel room, I am supplied with a tablet.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09Estonians vote online and register businesses online.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13Not for nothing is this country sometimes nicknamed E-stonia.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20In fact, we have Estonia to thank for giving the world Skype.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24It was founded here, as was the first paperless parliament.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Remarkable, because just two decades ago,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30half the population didn't have a telephone line.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38Today, there's also a food revolution underway,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41as a new Estonian cuisine emerges,
0:30:41 > 0:30:46with local chefs exploiting the best ingredients from the Baltic larder.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53- Hello, Kristjan.- Ah, Michael. - I'm Michael. Good to see you.
0:30:53 > 0:30:59Hello, Kristo. Good to see you both. So, these are from the Baltic.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02- Yeah.- Yeah.- Potato a big part of the Estonian culture?
0:31:02 > 0:31:05- Absolutely.- Huge. - THEY LAUGH
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- And this is cottage cheese.- Cottage cheese, yeah.- Cottage cheese.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12We get it from a lovely small farm from the north of Estonia.
0:31:12 > 0:31:13Usually it's done from the cow milk,
0:31:13 > 0:31:17but this one here is made from the goat's milk.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21'Kristjan and Kristo have developed a signature dish -
0:31:21 > 0:31:23'a new take on potato rosti.'
0:31:27 > 0:31:32- A little bit of sour cream.- Ooh. - A little bit of salted cucumbers.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34We can add radishes.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41And a little bit of cold-pressed grape seed oil. OK.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43That looks beautiful.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47'During early Soviet times in the 1920s and '30s,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50'Estonian restaurants were nationalised
0:31:50 > 0:31:53'and suffered from chronic ingredient shortages.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55'One staple was meant to accompany
0:31:55 > 0:31:58'almost every savoury food - black rye bread.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02'Even today, instead of wishing one another "bon appetit",
0:32:02 > 0:32:07'Estonians are prone to say "jatku leiba" - "may your bread last." '
0:32:11 > 0:32:13Mmm.
0:32:14 > 0:32:15That herring is delicious.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20- Absolutely fresh, and just grilled and, ah... Marvellous!- Just salted.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25And congratulations on the potato cake. A really nice meal.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28- Thank you.- Thank you, Michael. - Good health.
0:32:32 > 0:32:37All over Tallinn, I see Estonian national identity being celebrated.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39But the city today also displays evidence
0:32:39 > 0:32:43of its history of subjugation by foreign powers.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45It's evident both in the architecture
0:32:45 > 0:32:47and in the sounds of the city.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50BELLS RING
0:32:50 > 0:32:54SINGING
0:32:56 > 0:33:00Over a quarter of Estonia's 1.4 million-strong population
0:33:00 > 0:33:02is of Russian descent
0:33:02 > 0:33:06and the stunning Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral
0:33:06 > 0:33:10plays an active role in the city's religious life.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14CHANTING IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Father Juvenalis. I'm Michael. What a pleasure.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34Great pleasure for me also to meet you in our cathedral.
0:33:34 > 0:33:40This is a very beautiful cathedral, actually not very old.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45It's now about 120 years.
0:33:45 > 0:33:51It was consecrated just in the year, er...1900.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56Like many Russian Orthodox cathedrals,
0:33:56 > 0:34:01it's named after Alexander Nevsky, the 13th-century Russian prince
0:34:01 > 0:34:06glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Now, adoringly restored,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11its interior is filled with beautiful icons,
0:34:11 > 0:34:14dazzlingly covered with gold leaf.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20To view one of its greatest treasures requires legwork.
0:34:30 > 0:34:36- Oh, wow! This is one enormous bell! - Yes.- How big is this bell?
0:34:36 > 0:34:40This weighs 1,000 pfund
0:34:40 > 0:34:45and it will be about 16 tonnes.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49- 16 tonnes of bell!- Yes. - Do you ever ring this bell?
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Yes, all the great feasts, we ring this bell.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56It's called, in Church Slavonic, "Blagaya Vest".
0:34:56 > 0:35:00- It means "Good News". - The Good News Bell.- Yes.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04The bell was made in St Petersburg
0:35:04 > 0:35:08and it was brought here by the railway.
0:35:08 > 0:35:13- I shall ring.- That will be marvellous. Do you think it's...?
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- Is it dangerous for the hearing, do you think?- No, no.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19It takes away...headache.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21THEY LAUGH
0:35:21 > 0:35:27I have experienced this. It takes a little time but it's not difficult.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32Even a little boy can do this, and sometimes he IS doing this.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35It's an extraordinary feeling
0:35:35 > 0:35:38to be waiting here under this enormous bell,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41just waiting for the moment when the clapper makes contact,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43which is going to be any moment now.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46BELL CLANGS
0:35:46 > 0:35:49BELL CONTINUES TO VIBRATE
0:35:49 > 0:35:52That's an enormous noise!
0:35:54 > 0:35:57BELL CLANGS
0:36:18 > 0:36:23That thought provides a fitting end to my trip to Estonia
0:36:23 > 0:36:26before I head across the Baltic to pick up my rail journey in Finland.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28SHIP'S HORN BLARES
0:36:31 > 0:36:33'At the time of my guidebook,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36'Finland was something of a mystery to British travellers.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40'It was a challenge even to procure a map of the country in London.'
0:36:40 > 0:36:42So long, Estonia.
0:36:42 > 0:36:47I'll always associate you with the outpouring of patriotic song
0:36:47 > 0:36:50and the deep resonance of the Good News Bell.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56I'm heading out into the Baltic Sea,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59for centuries strategically important
0:36:59 > 0:37:01to both Germany and Russia -
0:37:01 > 0:37:05something that historian Dr Ivo Juurvee knows all about.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10- Hello, Ivo. I'm Michael. - Nice to meet you.- Good to see you.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15So, here we have a map of the Baltic before the First World War.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19And Sweden, Germany, the Russian Empire,
0:37:19 > 0:37:23including Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27And it's clear to me that the Baltic is of huge strategic importance
0:37:27 > 0:37:31- to Germany and, perhaps even more so, to Russia.- Indeed.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34It was the main gate to the sea for Russia,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36or exit of the Russian Empire to the West.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40The ports of St Petersburg, Tallinn and Riga had huge importance
0:37:40 > 0:37:43in exports and also in imports.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Russia has relatively few ports in the West.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48It has these and it has the Black Sea,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52and that represents a sort of vulnerability, doesn't it?
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Well, more or less. The ports in the far north
0:37:54 > 0:37:56were not used much before the First World War.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59These sensitive waters were the scene
0:37:59 > 0:38:03of a patiently crafted diplomatic meeting in June 1908
0:38:03 > 0:38:07between the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II,
0:38:07 > 0:38:11and his uncle by marriage, British King Edward VII.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16The King was accompanied by Queen Alexandra.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19As a precaution against assassination,
0:38:19 > 0:38:21they met on board the King's royal yacht,
0:38:21 > 0:38:25the Victoria and Albert, in the Bay of Tallinn.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29Edward's mission was to strengthen ties between Britain and Russia
0:38:29 > 0:38:33and thereby safeguard the delicate balance of power in Europe,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36which was increasingly under threat from Germany.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Ever since the fall of communism,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43being able to travel freely through the Baltic feels special,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46but Russia's annexation of the Crimea
0:38:46 > 0:38:48has stirred up bad memories for many
0:38:48 > 0:38:51and made Finland and the Baltic countries wary
0:38:51 > 0:38:53of their neighbour's intentions.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01The entrance to Helsinki harbour,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04through a narrow channel, past the ancient fortifications,
0:39:04 > 0:39:07is extremely attractive, and as Bradshaw says,
0:39:07 > 0:39:12"Numerous small islands contribute to its picturesque appearance."
0:39:12 > 0:39:15The guidebook also tells me that it's a Russian grand duchy,
0:39:15 > 0:39:17so even before the First World War,
0:39:17 > 0:39:22it enjoyed a fair degree of autonomy from the Russian Tsar.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24I shall be interested to see
0:39:24 > 0:39:28how the national character expressed itself in Finland.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32MUSIC: Karelia Suite by Sibelius
0:39:40 > 0:39:44Helsinki, which dates back to the mid-16th century,
0:39:44 > 0:39:47became the Finnish capital in 1812,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51after Russia wrested Finland away from Swedish control.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55MUSIC: Karelia Suite by Sibelius
0:39:58 > 0:40:01I'm in the heart of Helsinki,
0:40:01 > 0:40:05but here, at the lakeside, it has the feel of the country.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08I'm surrounded by the lapping sea,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11with a mass of harbours and hidden bays.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14- Hello.- Hi, you want to join?
0:40:14 > 0:40:17- May I share your fire?- Please do so.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20You can show me how...how to do this.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26- Yeah, I will. Blanket is a good start.- Very good start.
0:40:26 > 0:40:31You notice that our summers are a bit chilly every once in a while.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34- Those look really good.- Yeah. - Is this a local custom?
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Yeah, absolutely. People come...
0:40:36 > 0:40:39This is kind of like a cafe, here on the coastline, so people come
0:40:39 > 0:40:44and sit down, grill a bit of the sausages, see the sunset, you know.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47I've just arrived, but it seems a special kind of city,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51with a lake in the centre, and this feeling of being, I don't know,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54out in the rural areas, when you're in the city.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Well, that's what they say. We are a sea-like city,
0:40:57 > 0:41:00so there's this big bay area in the middle.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02- It looks like a lake but it's actually the sea.- Is it?
0:41:02 > 0:41:04So, it's a nature reserve.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07I think, in Helsinki, nature's always very close.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11We have lots of cultural things, cultural venues,
0:41:11 > 0:41:13but always the green areas and everything
0:41:13 > 0:41:15are in our hearts, I would say.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18My sausage has burst a bit there. Is that all right?
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Yeah, that's the thing. Just don't put it too close to the fire.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24It's the embers over there that give the heat,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26but if you put it here, to the fire,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29you're going to burn them and they're going to burst as well.
0:41:29 > 0:41:30That's looking good.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Yeah, I think you just put some mustard on the top
0:41:33 > 0:41:34and you're good to go.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39You know, some people are very sensitive with a bit of mustard,
0:41:39 > 0:41:42but I put it all over.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Mmm, tastes so good, doesn't it, from the charcoal fire?
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Yeah, I think, when you're outdoors as well.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53You get a different appetite when you are sitting outside.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55- It's the place as well.- Mmm.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58And with your help, I cooked that really well.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Well done.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11CHURCH BELLS TOLL
0:42:16 > 0:42:20This beautiful morning finds me in what Bradshaw's describes
0:42:20 > 0:42:22as, "A fine square, the Senate Square,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25"with imposing public buildings on each side."
0:42:25 > 0:42:30And they are the University, the Cathedral and the Senate.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35This square is the very heart of Finnish nationalism.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37The Finns, with their own institutions,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40enjoyed a good deal of self-government,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43by comparison with the Latvians and the Estonians,
0:42:43 > 0:42:48and their independence was increased by this Russian Tsar, Alexander II.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51When, in 1899, his grandson tightened
0:42:51 > 0:42:54the Russian grip on Finland,
0:42:54 > 0:42:57protesting Finns came here and laid flowers
0:42:57 > 0:43:01at the feet of the man they called the "Good Tsar".
0:43:01 > 0:43:04MUSIC: Symphony No 2 In D Major by Sibelius
0:43:09 > 0:43:11And just as in Estonia,
0:43:11 > 0:43:16music would help to propel the Finns towards independence.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20'I'm meeting Vesa Ruotonen
0:43:20 > 0:43:23'at the city's historic Kamp Hotel,
0:43:23 > 0:43:28'a favourite haunt in the late 19th century of Jean Sibelius,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31'surely Finland's greatest composer.'
0:43:31 > 0:43:33- Skol.- Skol.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38So, is it suitable to be drinking champagne while discussing Sibelius?
0:43:38 > 0:43:42Oh, yes! He was here, actually, always drinking the champagne.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45You know, he could stay here for a couple of weeks.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Why is it that Sibelius is so important to Finns?
0:43:48 > 0:43:52He did put the Finnish soul into the music
0:43:52 > 0:43:55and he was also a person
0:43:55 > 0:44:00that his music followed the national development of the country.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04And here, the political and the national and the arts
0:44:04 > 0:44:06were going the same way,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10and Sibelius was the leading person with his Finlandia,
0:44:10 > 0:44:13which is actually kind of the idea
0:44:13 > 0:44:17of what it is to be free and what it is to be Finn.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20MUSIC: Finlandia Op 26 by Sibelius
0:44:23 > 0:44:26Sibelius was born in 1865
0:44:26 > 0:44:30and, although his mother wanted him to study law, his passion was music.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33He became an accomplished violinist
0:44:33 > 0:44:36before devoting himself to composition.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40He wrote seven symphonies and a violin concerto,
0:44:40 > 0:44:43as well as Finlandia.
0:44:43 > 0:44:49His music reflects the nature and also the nature of the Finns
0:44:49 > 0:44:53and human nature displayed all over the world nowadays.
0:44:54 > 0:44:59Sibelius also composed lyrical pieces, like this beautiful romance.
0:44:59 > 0:45:04MUSIC PLAYS
0:45:11 > 0:45:15But in 1899, he turned his hand to music
0:45:15 > 0:45:19about the struggle of the Finns to rid themselves of Russian rule.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45Very lovely. Hello, I'm Michael.
0:45:45 > 0:45:50- Hello, I'm Emilia.- Emilia.- Hello. - Very good to see you.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54Vesa, Finlandia comes at a really key moment.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58Yeah, when it came out, people immediately understood the message.
0:45:58 > 0:46:03It's beautiful music but it's also a sign for the Finns
0:46:03 > 0:46:05that we have to be united now, to get free.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09HE PLAYS EXTRACT FROM FINLANDIA BY SIBELIUS
0:46:21 > 0:46:24- That's the Russians.- Right.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28We've got a few bars and then comes the sad choral.
0:46:28 > 0:46:34This is what the Finns are singing - "God, do something. Help us."
0:46:37 > 0:46:42"Why you did not help? Now we Finns have to fight for the freedom."
0:47:03 > 0:47:05After the victorious battle,
0:47:05 > 0:47:11now we are finally free to sing the anthem Finlandia.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15THEY PLAY EXTRACT FROM FINLANDIA by SIBELIUS
0:47:48 > 0:47:51Resistance against the Russians gathered strength
0:47:51 > 0:47:55until, as Russia was taken over by the Bolsheviks in 1917,
0:47:55 > 0:48:00the Finnish parliament declared the nation's independence.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02It was as if, with Finlandia,
0:48:02 > 0:48:06Sibelius had supplied his country with a national hymn.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Even at the railway station,
0:48:14 > 0:48:18I find a celebration of what it is to be Finnish.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22Helsinki's magnificent railway station was designed
0:48:22 > 0:48:26by a friend of Jean Sibelius, called Eliel Saarinen.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29His original idea was a kind of romantic
0:48:29 > 0:48:3119th-century-style building,
0:48:31 > 0:48:35but in the political turmoil of the early 20th century,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39when Finland was wrestling with its Russian oppressor,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42he came up with a different design - something very 20th century,
0:48:42 > 0:48:46something very modern, uniquely Finnish,
0:48:46 > 0:48:49and so, in a way, this building is also highly political.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56I'm back on track, heading north to the city of Tampere,
0:48:56 > 0:48:59just over one-and-a-half hours away by train.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04'These new high-speed Italian tilting trains
0:49:04 > 0:49:08'are fast and comfortable, and I particularly love that the interior
0:49:08 > 0:49:11'has been designed to blend with my jacket.'
0:49:11 > 0:49:14- TANNOY:- 'Ladies and gentlemen,
0:49:14 > 0:49:19'this is a Pendolino train via Tampere and Jyvaskyla to Kuopio.'
0:49:29 > 0:49:31In the middle of the 19th century,
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Finns had to decide where to build their first railway line.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38Russophiles favoured one from Helsinki to St Petersburg,
0:49:38 > 0:49:40while nationalists thought one should be built
0:49:40 > 0:49:43to promote domestic economic activity.
0:49:43 > 0:49:48In the end, the first one opened on this line in 1862,
0:49:48 > 0:49:52between Helsinki and the Finnish town of Hameenlinna,
0:49:52 > 0:49:56and the one to Russia had to wait another eight years.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07- TANNOY:- 'The next stop, Tampere.'
0:50:21 > 0:50:24Tampere is a city built on the power of water.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28The rushing rapids of the Tammerkoski River
0:50:28 > 0:50:32drive the city's imposing 19th-century mills.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35It's retained many of its factories
0:50:35 > 0:50:38and its paper mills still supply much of Finland's paper.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43But surrounding what's become known as the Manchester of Finland
0:50:43 > 0:50:45are 200 beautiful lakes...
0:50:53 > 0:50:58..perfect to allow me to feel what it's like to be free and Finnish.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12When the days get longer, the Finns take to their country houses
0:51:12 > 0:51:16and to the lakeside, in order to commune with nature
0:51:16 > 0:51:20and, although I'm a city boy, I thought I'd give it a go.
0:51:23 > 0:51:29First, heat your hot tub with freshly chopped wood.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41Then remove tarpaulin from hot tub.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43Ha-ha!
0:51:47 > 0:51:49Stir the water,
0:51:49 > 0:51:55in order to mix the hot at the top with the cold at the bottom.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Now all is ready.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05'It's 11 o'clock at night and sunset,
0:52:05 > 0:52:09'and I begin to experience an iconic Finnish natural phenomenon -
0:52:09 > 0:52:14'the white nights, when there is light throughout the 24 hours.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16'With long, cold, dark winters,
0:52:16 > 0:52:20'summer in Finland is about being outside.'
0:52:20 > 0:52:23What better thing to do... Argh!
0:52:23 > 0:52:26..than to get into a hot tub
0:52:26 > 0:52:31and enjoy a cloudberry liqueur known as a lakka?
0:52:33 > 0:52:35Why...
0:52:38 > 0:52:42..would the people of this country, in the middle of the night,
0:52:42 > 0:52:44get into hot water and drink alcohol?
0:52:44 > 0:52:49Because this is the way that a day must finish.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10I don't find it easy to sleep when it's daylight all night,
0:53:10 > 0:53:15but breakfast with this beautiful view and the fresh air
0:53:15 > 0:53:19and the stiff breeze coming off the lake, that really wakes me up.
0:53:35 > 0:53:40- Hello, canoeists!- Hello, Michael. - Good morning.- Good morning.
0:53:40 > 0:53:46- Nice to see you, Michael.- Oh, it's lovely to see YOU. Come alongside.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51'I'm being met by canoe guides Liisa and Pekka Tyllila.'
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Isn't it beautiful?
0:53:53 > 0:53:57- It's nice weather today for canoeing.- It looks perfect.
0:54:13 > 0:54:18Seeing the world from the bow of a silent canoe is truly special.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37This is an extraordinary moment for me
0:54:37 > 0:54:41because I'm hearing something that I never hear,
0:54:41 > 0:54:43which is silence...
0:54:44 > 0:54:48..if you discount the sound of the birds
0:54:48 > 0:54:51and the wind moving across the lake.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57Completely different and special moment.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02Absolutely exceptional in my existence.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11Liisa, what's the name of this lake?
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Vuokalanjarvi.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15Vuokalanjarvi.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19Fine! Perfect! You are almost a Finn.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21THEY LAUGH
0:55:21 > 0:55:24How long have Finns been canoeing, Liisa?
0:55:24 > 0:55:28Well, it started, actually, in 1891,
0:55:28 > 0:55:34when a minister of finances, August Ramsay, published his book.
0:55:34 > 0:55:39With over 180,000 lakes in Finland to paddle,
0:55:39 > 0:55:44August Ramsay's guide encouraged Finns to take to canoes for leisure.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47So, I find the stories very interesting
0:55:47 > 0:55:49and it tells how it was.
0:55:49 > 0:55:56And did you see the first picture, where the canoeing men,
0:55:56 > 0:56:00they're helped by women to carry the canoes?
0:56:00 > 0:56:02THEY LAUGH
0:56:02 > 0:56:07So, that was one way to get to know young women in the countryside.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11But, actually, you Finns gave equality to women
0:56:11 > 0:56:13very early on, didn't you?
0:56:13 > 0:56:18Yes, Finland is the third country to give women the right to vote,
0:56:18 > 0:56:23so the girls from countryside moved to towns
0:56:23 > 0:56:26and started to get salary.
0:56:26 > 0:56:31They became independent and that was the big step.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34And they earned the right to carry the canoe as well.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36LIISA LAUGHS
0:56:36 > 0:56:41Well, not so many Finnish ladies do that.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44- I like your book, it's beautifully illustrated.- Yeah?
0:56:44 > 0:56:47It's a sort of Finnish canoeing Bradshaw's.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03A century ago, the Bradshaw's visitor
0:57:03 > 0:57:06to the Baltic region of the Russian Empire
0:57:06 > 0:57:08heard the cry for freedom,
0:57:08 > 0:57:12in Riga, demonstrators had recently been massacred,
0:57:12 > 0:57:16in Estonia, choirs sang about liberty,
0:57:16 > 0:57:18whilst, in Finland,
0:57:18 > 0:57:22the music of Jean Sibelius longed for independence.
0:57:22 > 0:57:26The 20th century brought the region moments of joy
0:57:26 > 0:57:31and periods of catastrophe until, in the 1980s,
0:57:31 > 0:57:35a singing revolution helped to restore self-government.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37These peoples eventually triumphed,
0:57:37 > 0:57:40not through force of arms or numbers,
0:57:40 > 0:57:44but because of the strength of their national cultures.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49'Next time...'
0:57:49 > 0:57:51This is absolutely terrifying.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53'..I'll need some Dutch courage.'
0:57:53 > 0:57:55THUD
0:57:55 > 0:57:57Ha-ha!
0:57:57 > 0:58:00I didn't expect that. We got a hole in one.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04'And I'll root around the world's largest flower auction...'
0:58:04 > 0:58:06Tell me there are some rules here, right?
0:58:06 > 0:58:08There are some rules of the road, are there?
0:58:08 > 0:58:10Well, they SAY they have traffic rules.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13'..before tilting at windmills.'
0:58:13 > 0:58:1830,000 kilos and I haven't even broken a sweat.