Episode 29 The Travel Show


Episode 29

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This place was once described as the biggest

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and loveliest of all cities, so why is it that, today,

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so few people have ever heard of Plovdiv?

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On this week's programme,

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we uncover the past in one of the ancient world's best kept secrets.

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30,000 people would have packed into these stands to come

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and see chariot racing, and discus and javelin throwing competitions.

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We head to Iceland to go deep inside a volcano.

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-Can't see the bottom.

-No.

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SHE LAUGHS

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There's news of a ground-breaking arts festival in Manhattan.

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And we'll take you on a 60-second stopover in Rome.

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Hello and welcome to The Travel Show,

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coming this week from Plovdiv in Bulgaria.

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Now, you might be forgiven for thinking it looks like Rome

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or Athens, but those cities are infants compared to this place,

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which has a pretty good claim on being the oldest city in Europe.

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The question is,

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can Plovdiv use this ancient history to bring new life to its streets?

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On ground level, you might be forgiven for thinking that

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Plovdiv is a fairly ordinary town.

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Underneath the streets, it's a different story.

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This place has been occupied by humans for over 8,000 years,

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with the remains of different eras stacked

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one on top of the other like pancakes.

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I've come to a dig that's turning up traces of those who lived here

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around 2,000 years ago.

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I'm standing in the middle of modern-day Plovdiv,

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but in fact, this place was also the heart

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of the ancient city of Philippopolis, which,

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at the height of the Roman Empire, had a population of over 100,000.

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Overseeing the excavations is head archaeologist, Dr Elena Kesyakova.

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-TRANSLATION:

-We have to discover

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and uncover the shops that have been on the west side of the square

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as well as the main wall that was protecting the western side.

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2,000 years ago, ancient Philippopolis sat right in the heart

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of a region called Thrace, and to the Thracians,

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the city was a pretty big deal.

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What Athens is for ancient Greece

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and what Rome is for the Italians, Philippopolis is for the Thracians.

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Oh, right, my turn. Let's go.

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So I brush gently,

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get rid of all these bits of loose dirt.

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-Am I doing a good job?

-Da, da!

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We've just been cleaning up what is a fireplace,

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which would have been in the middle of a shop

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in the middle of the forum.

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But the interesting thing about this fireplace is that it wasn't just

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where you would toast your bread or make your dinner,

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it was where people would make offerings to their gods as well, and

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it's kind of the crazy to discover this in the middle of a modern city.

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Excavations have uncovered extensive evidence of Plovdiv's glorious past.

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This is Plovdiv's ancient Roman stadium,

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and up to 30,000 people would have packed into these stands to come

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and see chariot races and discus and javelin throwing competitions.

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Today, it still draws crowds,

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but they're mainly here to see the ruins themselves.

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Stefan Stoyanov is Plovdiv's deputy mayor,

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and believes sites like this may be a key to the city's future.

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These stones are around 2,000 years old.

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And it's very important to make an attraction

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here in this place

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and to popularise it.

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The plan seems to be working.

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Figures showed a 20% increase in the number of visitors to Plovdiv

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in the first six months of 2014.

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Archaeology is really important for the city,

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and especially for the tourism

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because we have unique attractions here,

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and to try to develop it every year.

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It's clear that these Roman sites can be a huge draw for the city.

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But not everyone is pleased with how they're being developed.

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Krassimira Luka believes that in their haste to reveal

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the popular Roman-era layers of the city, the digs are losing

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vital discoveries relating to later periods.

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It's this order given by the municipality to finish fast with the site.

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This is not the archaeological way to uncover the past.

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This must be done because, when you destroy it, it is lost for ever.

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But, at the forum dig, Elena strongly defends their practices.

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TRANSLATION: We've got a full recommendation

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for all uncovered walls

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with their profiles and cross sections.

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Nothing's going to get lost.

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And Plovdiv doesn't just want visitors to come

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and look at its history.

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They want the ancient sites to play an active part in city life.

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Crowds have gathered for the annual Plovdiv International Folk Festival

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at the restored Roman theatre.

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I find it brilliant to see this place being used to entertain

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the masses, just like it was intended to, nearly 2,000 years ago.

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If town planners have their way,

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even more ancient sites will soon be opened up for public use

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across the city, and they have their fingers crossed that,

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in the future, everyone will finally recognise the name of Plovdiv.

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If you're thinking of coming to Bulgaria,

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here's some information you might find useful.

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If you're planning to venture off the beaten track in Bulgaria, you

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might be surprised by the contrast between urban and rural areas.

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While the cities are comparable with

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many others you'll find across central Europe,

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development in the rural areas has happened at a far slower pace.

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Don't rule out a trip into the countryside,

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but do allow more time, and expect to have to rough it

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occasionally if you do decide to go rural.

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Ever found yourself making up sign language to communicate

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in a country where you don't know the language?

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Well, beware in Bulgaria, because it's one of just a few

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countries where a nod of the head means "no" and a shake means "yes".

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To confuse things further, locals keen to accommodate foreigners

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have been known to reverse this, so just remember that "da" means yes.

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Getting around in Bulgaria can be a little more difficult

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than in some other destinations.

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Road signs are mainly written using the Cyrillic alphabet

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and some roads are not very well maintained,

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so public transport is often the best option.

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Buses can also be a little difficult to navigate,

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so try train and tram travel to take you where you need to go.

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But do think about booking ahead for the trains.

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And, finally, if you love roses, then Bulgaria is the place for you.

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The country produces most of the world's rose oil,

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and you'll find roses celebrated everywhere here.

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If you're booking for June,

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look out for the Rose Festival in Kazanluk, and you might just

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find yourself picking roses at dawn with the locals.

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Time now to take a look at what else is happening in travel this week.

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We start this week in the UK, where there are new theories

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about one of its oldest

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and most mysterious attractions.

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A dry British summer and a faulty hosepipe have revealed

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markings that suggest Stonehenge was once a complete circle.

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For years, scientists have argued over whether it was supposed to be

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the horseshoe shape that stands there today.

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Over to Cuba, where there's a brand-new list of restricted items

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for people arriving onto the island.

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The Communist government there says it's to stop professional mules

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importing lots of high-end consumer goods from the States.

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In recent years, Havana airport's luggage belts have been heaving

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with huge amounts of bulky luxuries, thanks to looser customs rules.

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Before you go, make sure you check the new list,

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though if you're just carrying normal holiday luggage,

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you should be OK.

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And how lovely are enchiladas?

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What they need is some sort of specialist festival.

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Well, wouldn't you know it,

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Mexico City has had the same thought.

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People there have been busy celebrating

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the Enchilada Gastronomy Festival this week.

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As part of celebrations, they made one which broke records.

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At 85 metres long, it was filled with seafood,

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plantain and bucketloads of sauce.

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Coming up on the travel show:

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Michelle's here with her global guide

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to the best things to see and do around the world,

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and we head to Iceland to explore the depths of a volcano.

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You can see how the colours are changing here.

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You see more yellow and orange. And that's because of sulphur.

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The Travel Show - your essential guide, wherever you're heading.

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Hello, I'm Michelle Jana-Chan, your global guide with top tips

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on the world's best events in the coming month.

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From a star-studded Malawi to shining lights in Sweden.

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But first, it is the 20th anniversary of Heritage Open Day in the UK.

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From September 11th to 14th,

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you'll be able to look behind closed doors at thousands of heritage sites

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across the country, from castles and monuments to gardens and art venues.

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It's free of charge and forms part of European Heritage Day, which is

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held annually in September across the continent,

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highlighting local skills and traditions.

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In Italy on October 12, the Barcolana is Europe's biggest sailing event,

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with more than 2,000 boats jostling in the Gulf of Trieste.

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It's the only regatta in the world to set a single start line for

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so many yachts.

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All kinds of mono-hulled sailboats participate,

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with beginners pitted against professional racing teams.

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The event will cap a week of races, which includes competitions

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for teenagers as well as sailors with disabilities.

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If you prefer to stay on dry land,

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Australia's capital is celebrating Floriade for 30 days

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from September 14th, the country's greatest flower festival.

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The best viewing is in Canberra's parks and gardens, where

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visitors can follow the Floriade trail among galleries and monuments.

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From September 24, there's five nights of light shows,

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live music, comedy and DJs.

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Staying in Australia,

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the Torres Strait Cultural Festival begins on September 16.

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Held every two years on Thursday Island,

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there's a street parade and sporting events,

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but the greatest draw will be the cultural activities,

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as the indigenous Torres Strait Islanders are known for their

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artistic talents and handicraft skills.

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On September 20, the landmark Canadian Museum of Human Rights

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launches in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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The opening weekend will include RightsFest,

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a two-day celebration with themed performances.

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There will also be a preview tour through the museum,

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offering an insight into its digital collection of oral histories,

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interactive exhibits and artwork.

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For a different kind of digital, in New York City in the US,

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the Dumbo Arts Festival begins on September 26.

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It's a weekend of indoor and outdoor art installations, digital art

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and large-scale projections, as well as a chance to watch dancers,

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poets and artists making murals on the streets.

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Outdoor projections will be on view from midnight

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and on all three nights, and it's free to the public.

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It's centred in Brooklyn and overlooking the Manhattan skyline.

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There's another reason to stay up late on the African continent.

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Returning to the shores of Lake Malawi,

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the Lake of Stars Festival begins on September 26.

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Three days of music and art.

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Last year it happened in the Malawian capital, Lilongwe,

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but the out-of-town, laid-back beat returns with local musicians

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mingling with international DJs and live acts.

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There will be a different kind of rhythm in Sweden outside Gothenberg

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where Lights In Alingsas begins on September 27th.

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It's a colourful, cutting-edge outdoor exhibition of lights

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with tens of thousands of spectators,

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which lasts over a month until November 3.

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This year, lighting designers will interpret

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the music of Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg.

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That's my global guide this month.

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Let me know what's happening in the place where you live,

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or where you love. We are on Facebook, Twitter and e-mail.

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Until next time, happy travelling.

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Now, Iceland is a country that's very much been in the news recently

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because of renewed activity at the Bardarbunga volcano.

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If you were watching last week,

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you'll remember Jo Whalley meeting Icelanders whose lives were

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turned upside down when another volcano

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erupted on the Westman Islands 40 years ago.

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This week, she travels to a spot close to the capital, Reykjavik,

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to look deep inside a truly amazing geological wonder.

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Iceland is a volcanic hot spot.

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The whole country has been formed by millions of years of eruptions.

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And you only have to drive a short distance from the capital

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Reykjavik to see the impact.

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Thousands of years ago, a river of lava blasted through here,

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leaving these massive holes in the ground.

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And in every direction as far as the eye can see,

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are lumps of this stuff, where it solidified.

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You can find lava fields like this in other eruption sites

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around the world.

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But one of the peaks here is different to any other.

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It's the only place where you can actually

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see inside the heart of a volcano.

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-And that's the one that's erupted most recently?

-Oh, yeah.

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The little one over there.

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Bjorn climbs up the side of this volcano every day

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and encourages sometimes-apprehensive tourists to walk the plank.

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So, I need to attach you here, and I'll go first.

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And you walk out with me and I'll attach you to another rope.

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The volcano is dormant and hasn't erupted for 4,000 years,

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and the experts here say it will be many thousands of years more

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before it erupts again.

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I certainly hope they're right.

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-I can't see the bottom.

-No.

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SHE LAUGHS

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I'm not normally scared of heights

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but it is a little daunting to see a deep, dark pit stretching beneath us.

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We go a little bit slower here through the narrowing.

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The gantry squeezes past a narrow opening in the rock.

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Once we're through, I can see how huge the cavern is.

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At 120 metres deep, you could fit the Statue Of Liberty in here.

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The raindrops seem to fall in slow motion.

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-And this is the lava?

-Yes, this is the lava.

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This here was magma, going up and down.

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The walls are splashed with colour where molten rock clung

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to the surface during the last hours of the eruption.

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You can see how the colours are changing here.

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You can see more yellow and orange. That's because of the sulphur.

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So, why can we be in here? Where did all the magma go?

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Kind of a mystery, but, for some reason,

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all the lava and all the magma drained out.

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And, under normal circumstances this would collapse, but it didn't.

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Probably because of the shape of it, or the structure.

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We have strong layers of rocks here, on the way down.

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So we're getting to the bottom here.

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The logistics of getting down here mean a ticket isn't cheap.

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A tour costs just under £200, and you can only get here

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from May until September. The rest of the year, it's too snowy.

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It's not just adventure travellers who've been coming here.

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People have been asking to hire the volcano out for private events.

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What's the weirdest request you've had?

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We've had all kinds of weird requests.

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We've had several requests about bungee jumping.

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-Bungee jumping in here?

-Yes.

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Do they have any idea of the rocks at the bottom of here?

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No, and also, the top part of the crater is not straight,

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it's like an S curve, so it could be quite risky to find a spot

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that you could drop in a straight line, so we haven't allowed that.

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It could be messy for us to clean everything up!

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This place is absolutely incredible,

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and if you've got enough cash,

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you could have it all to yourself.

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They've had requests from people who want to get married down here.

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They said no to that,

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but there are plans for it to become a concert venue.

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THEY SING HAUNTING HARMONY

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This local choir agreed to a Travel Show exclusive,

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to be the first group to perform in a volcano, ever.

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It's an eerily beautiful sound.

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Well, that's it for this week.

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And here's what's coming up on next week's programme.

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I'll be heading to Denmark,

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which is apparently the happiest country in the world.

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It's really good!

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They are very good at just appreciating what they have.

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Not worrying about the big stuff, but you open a bottle of red wine,

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you light some candles, you'll have a happy Dane.

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So, do join us then if you can, and in the meantime, don't forget,

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you can keep up with us while we're out on the road

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by signing up to our social media feeds,

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details of which are on the screen now.

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Or, you can raid our travel show archive by logging on to

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bbc.co.uk/travelshow

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But, for now, from me, Christa Larwood,

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and the rest of The Travel Show team here in Plovdiv, it's goodbye.

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