Germany The Travel Show

Now, the Travel Show.

Scenic mountain ranges, fairytale castles and yes, traditional hearty

drinking establishments.

Southern Germany has more than its fair share of stereotypes.

But they hide an intriguing, mysterious hinterland which I am

determined to uncover.

Whoooooa!

That's a thrill.

A side that is wilder, faster, louder.

And frankly completely bonkers.

How are you supposed to sleep to this?

My road trip starts in Bavaria's capital, Munich.

Home to BMW and some of the fastest cars in the world.

But I want to get a different perspective.

On the open road, checking out Munich.

And here is one way to do that, inside this customised

1930s-style mini hot rod.

It may look like a souped up go-kart, but it's street

legal and can go up to 90 kilometres an hour.

Wow.

It's like being a kid in a toy shop with the best sports car ever.

How good can it get?

My guide, a local man, is launching this hot rod experience

as an alternative way to see this place.

Cobblestones!

You can feel everything.

I pass some amazing classical architecture.

Many of these monuments were rebuilt after World War II,

when the city was heavily bombed, because Munich was the stronghold,

and some say birthplace, of National Socialism.

Today, in very different times, it's Germany's economic powerhouse,

and home to the world's biggest beer Festival, Oktoberfest.

But it's long been saddled with a conservative image.

A lot of people would say it's Munich, it's boring,

it's rich, it's traditional, it's beer and Bratwurst.

What would you say to that?

How stupid.

I have never heard somebody telling Munich it's boring,

but you are completely right, people are aware of Oktoberfest,

and this is definitely an eye-catcher, people know it

around the world.

We find just in this two weeks of time, 6.2 million visitors.

But I mean, it's not everything, right?

I would say the mixture of tradition on the one hand

and innovation on the other hand.

I'm here to find little pockets of interest, something that

will surprise me in Munich.

Do you know anything?

I have one for you.

Let's go for it.

I won't tell you right now, but we will go there.

Here are the surfers.

Isn't this great?

Whoa, they're surfing here.

In a river.

Crazy guys, right?

You find them every day, every morning, every night,

on weekends as well.

I've got to get a closer look.

I think surfing on river waves is quite popular

in Bavaria for a long time.

People did it behind bridges.

Typical Bavarian inventiveness.

Hundreds of miles from the sea.

This is definitely not for the novice.

You need to develop a different sort of vision for the wave,

because it's quite intimidating.

It's really loud, and you need to develop the muscle.

I felt terrible coming the first few times,

because you gradually get better, but it takes really long.

And how popular has it become?

The surf scene in Munich is quite big, actually.

There is actually a surf scene in Munich?

Who would have thought that?

Not me, but I'm pretty happy about it!

Time for me to head out of Munich.

But it's not quite as serene a journey as I imagined.

THUMPING MUSIC.

This band are part of a folk revival in Bavaria.

Taking traditional music and mixing it with contemporary

styles and rhythms.

And they've got a passion for flash mob.

A decade ago, traditions like this were out of fashion,

because for some, German tradition brought up too many

negative connotations.

But not any more.

Fantastic.

Really, really good.

The prominence of the culture is now back again.

Every style is included in this new music, it's not only folk music

and not only punk music, it's a mixture of every music now,

and the traditional instruments are back.

In terms of the clothes you wear, some people might say,

hang on, this is just silly.

This is just party dress.

Is it party dress?

No, it's not party dress, it's our culture.

We wear it very often, not only for fancy time,

to have fun, we wear it to make music as well as at home when we're

together and traditional festivals, and we wear it at the office

and we like to wear it.

It's our clothes and we are proud of it.

And off they go, spreading their new take on an old sound

to more unsuspecting commuters.

My next stop is right on the border between Germany and Austria.

Berchtesgaden.

The location of Hitler's notorious holiday hideaway, the Eagle's Nest.

Berchtesgaden.

The location of Hitler's notorious holiday hideaway, the Eagle's Nest.

But it's also home to the country's only Alpine park.

And there is an unexpected aspect to this breathtaking scenery,

one that runs completely contrary to the cliche that Germans

are straightlaced and serious.

One of the peaks here, the Untersberg, is renowned

for the paranormal.

With reports of time-shifting and unexplained disappearances.

Hitler thought the mountain harboured special powers that

would help him win the war.

But nowadays, the Untersberg is seen as a spiritual retreat,

and it's said the Dalai Lama is a frequent visitor.

I feel just bliss, and I feel this is me, there is no separation,

and I feel more energy, more relaxation, more joy

of life and more peace.

This academic and spiritualist insists there's

a special energy here.

It's really a strong energy point.

A really big, strong power spot.

And this is because ley lines, energy lines, are leading through,

passing through this mountain.

Everybody has heard about the Dalai Lama,

and my friends who met him there and heard him saying

that the Untersberg is the heart chakra of the world.

You know, I'm not sure about all this energy centre stuff

and mysterious disappearances.

But let's face it, the view here is incredible

enough to be inspiring.

And underneath the mountain range, a subterranean salt mine.

Salt all along the sides here.

And you can feel the atmosphere changing.

A bit colder, a bit fresher already.

The salt deposits here were what made Berchtesgaden wealthy

in the 12th century.

And slides like these were used by miners to move between levels.

I'm sure they didn't see it as a playground, mind you.

Whooooa!

That's a thrill.

Wow.

I can do that over and over again.

Fantastic.

But there's more to the salt mine than just being a great source

of wealth for Berchtesgaden.

Because this place apparently has got magical powers,

a healing energy, and I'm going to find out more about that.

So, every year we have about 15,000 guests,

coming mainly from health reasons.

Because we have two things.

We have wonderful air and salty air.

Jan von Werten manages a salt cure gallery deep in the mine.

Twice a month, we have a combination of relaxation and music.

Apparently, the salt neutralises background radiation

to encourage deep relaxation, and it's said an overnight's stay

can cure everything from tinnitus to insomnia and asthma.

And people are just sleeping and resting?

Yes.

And the tuning of the sound is wonderful, as well.

We have a wonderful acoustic inside.

It's like a church.

They call this event a sonic journey.

I have the big feeling that humans are so easily touched

by the sound of the music, and especially by the human voice.

If we are here inside the mountain, we feel or hear even with our heart

the rhythm of Earth.

This is a powerful place, so just lean back and do nothing.

And you will feel the power of Earth, the power of the creation.

And the power of creation includes the human voice.

THROAT SINGING.

There are two notes at the same time.

I can at the same time.

I can move at the same time.

I can move them at the same time.

I can move them separately. at the same time.

It is about 11pm and we have been here for three hours.

Tell me how you are feeling at the moment.

I feel very calm and relaxed.

I feel the talking in my mind gets quieter and quieter,

and I feel like I am breathing out.

It is very meditative, you can feel very free and wide

and travel in your fantasy.

As the night wears on, I can't seem to drift off quite

as easily as my fellow guests.

It is quarter to one in the morning and they are still going strong.

Frankly, I can't see myself getting any sleep at any time soon.

It is quite cold, but I do have a secret weapon, a hot water bottle.

That should keep me warm at least for a bit,

because it is pretty chilly.

It is way past one o'clock, and they are now playing

the big drums at maximum volume.

How are you supposed to sleep to this?

And on and on it went.

And a short respite that lulled me into a false sense of security.

Then, this wake-up call.

At 7am, it was time to pack up and go, after not the best night's

sleep I have ever had.

We are on our way out, emerging bleary eyed.

I had a couple of hours' sleep between the booming

drums and the didgeridoo.

It is a real experience, let's put it that way.

From the border with Austria we head north and deep into the Bavarian

forest, close to the Czech border.

This is a land rich in mythology, and there is one creature that

features very strongly in that folklore.

The wolf, here in the national park, is a relatively new

and rare tourist attraction.

You can see typical wolf markings, and its cheeks and muzzle are white.

They have white dots above their eyes.

It is a very colourful face they have, but very small

in comparison to a lot of dogs.

It is really a beautiful animal, and nothing like the image

of a nasty villainous creature that it is portrayed as.

Wolves were hunted to the point of extinction in Germany, but they

started to come back, in the 1990s, crossing over from other countries.

Now, on average they have about five pups per pack.

So that means about 200 pups per year, so that is

a huge increase in population size.

Reappearance of the wolf in Germany has divided opinion.

The wolf is an animal just like any other animal, but

in our heads they are different.

They belong to the ecosystem, so they are important

for the national environment.

There are some who like wolves and some who hate them,

so it is a huge controversy.

I think there is no other animal in Europe that is

so controversial as wolves.

I am in the pitch black countryside now, and I am about to meet

a group of people to get a very different take on the wolf.

They are taking part tonight in an annual celebration that is

unique, I have been told.

The festival celebrates the ancient custom of herdsmen

ringing bells to scare wolves away.

Hans is one of the organisers.

Tonight, hundreds of local people will form teams of bellringers,

Tonight, hundreds of local people will form teams of bellringers,

and I am joining in as well, a rare privilege for a non-Bavarian.

First, I need the right outfit.

What is the point of these twigs?

I'm going to look like a Christmas tree.

The headgear pales into insignificance once I realise I will

be lugging this 20 kg bell around.

It is so heavy, it is ridiculous.

OK, so I have taken this bell, and I think others are there who

will be doing it as well.

Did you hear me coming, by any chance?

So, you are also taking part?

How big a night is this for you?

I think it is the biggest night of the year.

Nowhere else is there something like this, so we are very proud of

it, and we also want to take part.

Have you ever thought about wearing earplugs?

Yes, I have them.

It is impossible without them.

I will bear that in mind, that is very good advice.

I join the rest of the team as we head towards the town centre.

Nothing could have prepared me for the incredible noise that is

generated heaving these enormous bells around.

I am trying not to use my knees, but it is almost impossible.

They feel battered and bruised already.

We are greeted by a huge crowd of tourists and locals.

Dominic is the flamboyant leader, rousing the troops,

leading the beat.

And conducting the cacophony.

Luckily for me, after half-an-hour, Dominic calls time,

for a much-needed break.

That was one of the most physically intensive things I have ever done.

Amazing.

Tribal but great and I deserve this.

What does it feel like to be leading this bunch

of people with such a loud noise?

If I have learnt to do one thing, it is to try to look

beyond the straitlaced image of the people of Bavaria.

I have been moved by their warmth, compassion and sheer quirkiness.

It has been an adventure.